Project: Bioinformatic analysis of the adaptive cellular stress response. (P. Moeller)
We want to investigate the adaptive response... (read more)
We want to investigate the adaptive response of signalling networks to stress by using computational modeling. Organisms confronted with harmful assaults can react in surprising ways. Depending on the property of the stress stimuli, the reaction of the organisms has quite a variety. They can become resistant, more vital, or they die. Until now less is known about the molecular mechanisms that underlie these responses. Our expectation is to give a better understanding of stress responses and find some potential targets for modern medicine.
Liver metabolism
Project: Modeling the pathogenesis of pericentral steatosis – Influence of oxygen on fat accumulation and production of reactive oxygen species. (J. Schleicher)
We will verify the general mechanisms in the pathogenesis of zonated fat accumulation... (read more)
We will verify the general mechanisms in the pathogenesis of zonated fat accumulation and uncover the role of the altered oxygen supply in steatotic livers for the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The project is aimed to propose specific hypotheses in regard to a reduced ROS burden during ischemia of steatotic livers. This ought to happen through an iterative cycle of modeling and experiments. In a first step, we implement models (ordinary differential equations) of hepatic lipid metabolism and ROS production for the fat-induced and the alcohol-induced fatty liver pathogenesis.
Project: Dynamic optimization as a tool to study unicellular organisms. (J. Ewald)
Organisms and their traits are shaped by evolution leading to an optimized metabolism and cell behaviour... (read more)
Organisms and their traits are shaped by evolution leading to an optimized metabolism and cell behaviour. In this project, we use dynamic optimization, a widely used tool in engineering, to understand the optimality principles in biological systems with respect to time, which is often neglected by other approaches. Specifically, we want to understand the principles behind the regulation of cell metabolism and the interaction of pathogenic microorganisms with the immune system. Due to the embedding of the project in the Transregio "FungiNet (B2)", a close cooperation with experimentalists ensures the validation of the gathered hypotheses.
