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Methods Inf Med 2003; 42(02): 177-184
DOI: 10.1055/s-0038-1634330
Original article
Schattauer GmbH

Computational Integrative Physiology: At the Convergence of the Life and Computational Sciences

P. Siregar
1   Integrative BioComputing IBC, Rennes-Chantepie, France
,
N. Julen
1   Integrative BioComputing IBC, Rennes-Chantepie, France
,
J.-P. Sinteff
1   Integrative BioComputing IBC, Rennes-Chantepie, France
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

Publication Date:
08 February 2018 (online)

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Summary

Objective: In this paper we outline how Computational Integrative Physiology (CIP) can help unravel the mechanisms of normal and pathological biological processes. Our objective is to illustrate how CIP is firmly grounded on the life and computational sciences.

Method: After describing a general theoretical framework for CIP, we will center our discussion on cardiac rhythmic disorders with a particular focus on the Long QT syndrome that will serve as a case example. Within this context, we will describe multi-scale processes in biological, medical and in general mathematical terms, starting from the control of gene expression to the electrical activity of the entire heart. We will therefore proceed from the smaller microscopic scales to the larger macroscopic ones. In doing so, we will illustrate, at least in a qualitative sense, how CIP can be accomplished by showing some of the relations that can exist between mathematical variables characterizing models of different space-scales.

Conclusion: We will conclude by putting forth how CIP and the related fields of bioinformatics and medical informatics are necessary to derive meaningful knowledge from the huge and exponentially growing biological and medical data.

Keywords

Computational biology - integrative physiology - cardiology - multiscale modeling - biomathematics
 

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