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Peter Hunter |
MULTI-SCALE MODELING FOR THE IUPS PHYSIOME PROJECT
The IUPS Physiome Project is an attempt to build a comprehensive framework for computational multi-scale modeling of human biochemistry, biophysics and anatomy [1,2]. The goal of this project, sponsored by the International Union of Physiological Sciences (IUPS) and the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS), is to use computational modeling to analyse integrative physiological function in terms of underlying biological structure and processes. Web-accessible databases of model-related data at the organ system, organ, tissue, and cellular levels are being established to support the project. These databases currently include quantitative descriptions of anatomy, mathematical characterisations of physiological processes, and associated bibliographic information (see www.physiome.org.nz).
The challenge for the Physiome Project is to link the revolution in the medical imaging of structure and function with the advances in genomics and proteomics using computational modeling tailored to the anatomy, physiology, and genetics of the individual. In order to achieve this we require the development of comprehensive databases covering a wide range of spatial and temporal scales, linked by models so that the parameters of larger scale models are supported by quantitative experiments and models at finer scales. Ontologies and XML-based data exchange formats are also being developed to support this multiscale modeling framework (see www.cellml.org).
The talk will discuss a number of aspects of the IUPS Physiome Project and in particular the progress being made in modeling the heart, lungs and musculo-skeletal system.
[1] Hunter, P.J. and Borg, T.K. Integration from proteins to organs: The Physiome Project. Nature Reviews Molecular and Cell Biology. Vol 4, pp 237-243, 2003.
[2] Hunter, P.J., Kohl, P. and Noble, D. Integrative models of the heart: achievements and limitations. Phil. Trans R. Soc. Lond. A 359:1049-1054, 2001.