Systems Biology

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The goal of this course is to introduce the students to the field of systems biology. With the progress of genome sequencing and other -omics technologies, a wealth of multilevel data on the molecular nature of biological systems has been generated. Although systems are composed of elements, the essence of a system lies in its dynamics and interactions. It is evident that neither the biologist nor the mathematician is capable of integrating their current expertise and knowledge in the required way. That is the gap systems biology has to fill. Systems biology is a new approach to biological and biomedical research based on a more holistic perspective and relying on the use of mathematical and computational models, complementing experiments in the lab. This course provides an overview of systems biology and its building blocks, experimental approaches, and a variety of mathematical models and tools. Students will be introduced to the mathematical basis of evolution, dynamics systems, networks, and constraint based modelling. We discuss many examples from amongst others cancer metabolism and neuroscience. Practical skills will be trained by carrying out computer experiments. Successful participation at this course is the perfect preparation for a Master in Systems Biology.