An increasingly important aspect of the work at ZIH is the development of algorithms for modeling the biological processes that occur in cells. When these complex, cooperative processes follow well-established “rules”, the organism grows, develops and remains healthy. However, when these processes are disturbed or otherwise don´t follow the expected pattern, the organism can become sick, suffer damage or die. Understanding the collective phenomena of these systems can provide insight into the prevention and treatment of disease.

Instead of focusing on the static components of the cell itself, researchers at ZIH focus on modeling the dynamic processes. Modeling such “cellular automata”, or sets of interactive systems, embodies an important and challenging interface between applied mathematics and biology. Models are created from extensive data and images from laboratory experiments using microorganisms, and cell cultures, and clinical treatment of patients.

While the goal of creating accurate modeling algorithms is to advance biological research, the project is a multidisciplinary effort drawing on mathematics, physics, and computer science. Thus, the ZIH team works in close collaboration with researchers at Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems   and the Max Planck Institute Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics , both located in Dresden.

These collaborations are accelerated by the need for modeling tools which help to analyze complex systems and the specialized contributions each institution makes to the overall project.