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SUMMARY:An evolutionary perspective to systems and synthetic biology: From
  cellular networks to microbial communities - Dr Orkun Soyer\, School of L
 ife Sciences\, University of Warwick
DTSTART:20150116T140000Z
DTEND:20150116T150000Z
UID:TALK55277@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Dr Eileen Nugent
DESCRIPTION:Two key approaches in modern biology are systems and synthetic
  biology. Between these two powerful paradigms\, a surprisingly neglected 
 aspect is the fact that complex biological systems as well as their buildi
 ng blocks are the result of evolution. How can we explain evolution of com
 plex biological systems from sub-cellular to cellular levels? Do common ev
 olutionary processes\, such as fluctuating environments\, leave fingerprin
 ts in the architecture or dynamics of these systems? Are there inherent tr
 ade-offs in these systems \, and if so\, how does evolution work around su
 ch trade-offs? If we can answer these questions\, can the resulting evolut
 ionary insights be useful in our quest to (re)design biological systems in
  synthetic biology?\n\nI will illustrate computational and experimental ap
 proaches towards answering such questions and deciphering the evolutionary
  processes that can lead to complex cellular systems. In particular\, I wi
 ll describe a set of recent projects where we applied a combination of in 
 silico evolution and mathematical modeling to decipher molecular mechanism
 s of ultrasensitivity and multistability in signaling networks. Time permi
 tting\, I will use the last part of the talk\, to describe expansion of th
 is type of approaches to the study of cellular interactions. This part of 
 the talk will feature our preliminary work in a recent large-scale project
  on understanding microbial metabolic interactions and designing such inte
 ractions for biomethane production.
LOCATION:Small Lecture Theatre\, Cavendish Laboratory
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