European Conference on Mathematical and Theoretical Biology (ECMTB 2026)

Whole-cell modelling: progress and perspectives

Not scheduled

20m

University of Graz

Minisymposium Systems Biology and Biochemical Networks Whole-cell modelling: progress and perspectives

Speakers

Adelle Coster (University of New South Wales) Cyrus Knudsen (Stanford University) Jan Hasenauer (Bonn Center for Mathematical Life Sciences, University of Bonn) Jeremy Worsfold (University of New South Wales) Lucy Ham (The University of Melbourne) Pranas Grigaitis (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology) Thomas Williams (University of Melbourne) Volkan Ozcoban (The University of Melbourne)

Description

The landmark first whole-cell model (WCM) – of Mycoplasma genitalium – was published in 2012, offering insight into cellular biology at unprecedented scale and detail \cite{karr_et_al_2012}. The years since have seen WCMs developed by a variety of groups for a range of organisms, and major strides have been made in improving the biological fidelity and analytical power of these models. The rapid development of computing hardware and machine-learning methods has opened further possibilities for whole-cell modelling. However, challenges remain: how can WCMs be rigorously validated by experimental data? How can structural aspects of the cell, including spatial organisation, be accommodated in a WCM framework? What biological insights can be gleaned from WCMs which are not possible with simpler models? This minisymposium will showcase exciting work at the cutting edge of WCM research from a range of countries and institutions, on topics ranging from cellular metabolism to membrane dynamics, to gene perturbation and beyond, unified by a common goal of holistic, comprehensive modelling of cells to fuel biological discovery.

Bibliography

@article{karr_et_al_2012,
annote = {doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2012.05.044},
author = {Karr, Jonathan R. and Sanghvi, Jayodita C. and Macklin, Derek N. and Gutschow, Miriam V. and Jacobs, Jared M. and Bolival, Benjamin, Jr. and Assad-Garcia, Nacyra and Glass, John I. and Covert, Markus W.},
date = {2012/07/20},
date-added = {2026-01-31 12:10:50 +1100},
date-modified = {2026-01-31 12:11:06 +1100},
doi = {10.1016/j.cell.2012.05.044},
isbn = {0092-8674},
journal = {Cell},
number = {2},
pages = {389--401},
publisher = {Elsevier},
title = {A Whole-Cell Computational Model Predicts Phenotype from Genotype},
type = {doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2012.05.044},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2012.05.044},
volume = {150},
year = {2012},}