Simulation of living systems in virtual spaces

Cells growing in the computer

Systems biologists: (from left) Michäel Sevestre, Dr. Jörg Lippert, Wolfgang Weiss, Juri Solodenko and Dr. Katrin Coböken with the “virtual cell”

Biological processes are incredibly complex. The process of cell division alone involves thousands of enzymes. Researchers can only keep track of it using a computer. A new discipline known as systems biology simulates natural processes in a computer. Scientists at Bayer Technology Services are currently developing a “virtual cell” which in the future could enable computerized tests to identify side effects at an early stage both in pharmaceutical research and in the clinical setting.

Organizing complex processes

Systems biology is still a very young science. The goal is firstly to manage the flood of data generated by research into genomes and proteins, and then for computers to use the data to create metabolic pathways, cells and even the beginnings of complex tissues and organs. The entire metabolism of the human body will be represented in equations which will enable computers to simulate the action of drug products. Read on to find out what else systems biology is capable of.

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