Invitation to Systems Biology Seminar Talk

Robustness analysis of genetic regulatory networks

Dr. Madalena Chaves

Institut für Systemtheorie und Regelungstechnik, Universität Stuttgart

    Time: Wednesday · 26. 7. 2006 · 1.30 p.m
    Place: IST Seminar Room 3.241 · Pfaffenwaldring 9 · Campus Stuttgart-Vaihingen

Abstract

An innovative modelling framework will be presented, which combines a (discrete-time) Boolean model of the genetic network with continuous-time dynamics. The resulting hybrid model follows an approach first introduced by L. Glass in the 1970s. As a first example, the robustness of the segment polarity genes network of Drosophila is analyzed, with respect to perturbations in the distinct timescales of biological processes. The gene expression patterns and their stability will be studied.

As another application of these hybrid techniques, a few recent results will be presented on the analysis of a model of Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF)-induced apoptosis.

Biographical Information

M. Chaves has been a post-doc at IST, University of Stuttgart, since September 2005. Originally from Portugal, she received the Licenciatura in Technological Physics in 1995, from Instituto Superior Tecnico, Lisbon, and the Ph.D. in Mathematics in 2003, from Rutgers University, New Jersey. After that she was a visiting scientist at Sanofi-Aventis for two years. Her research interests include the analysis of dynamical systems, stability and robustness of nonlinear systems, observer design, modelling and analysis of biological networks and signalling pathways.