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Center for Nonlinear Studies |
Multiscale simulation is emerging as a new scientific field. The idea of multiscale modeling is straightforward: one computes information at a smaller (finer) scale and passes it to a model at a larger (coarser) scale by leaving out degrees of freedom as one moves from finer to coarser scales. The obvious goal of multiscale modeling is to predict macroscopic behavior from first principles (bottom-up approach). Biotechnology imposes new challenges and opportunities, especially for computer-aided control by anipulating macroscopic scale variables (top-down approach). In this talk recent developments in multiscale simulation will be reviewed. Examples of applying multiscale modeling to systems biology will be presented focusing on the spatiotemporal self-organization of the epidermal growth factor receptor. It is shown that the plasma membrane heterogeneity is of crucial importance in cell signaling. Comparison with single particle tracking experiments reveals for the first time the pathways of dimerization and how these depend on the extracellular environment. Substantial differences in signaling between normal and cancer cells are observed due to localization. Overall, our work suggests the existence of a layer of control at the cell surface by altering the signal sensing mechanism.
Host: Jim Faeder (T-10)