24-25 April 2006 Workshop, 'Systems Biology Meets Neuroinformatics'
Organisers: J Douglas Armstrong, Edinburgh; Stephen Eglen, Cambridge; Bruce Graham, Stirling; Igor Goryanin, Edinburgh and David Willshaw, Edinburgh.
Overview: The neuroinformatics and systems biology research communities have developed independently, yet it is clear that they share research interests and tools and technologies. Discussing the common problems encountered in these two fields will extend our depth of understanding of biology at many different levels, from molecular all the way to behavioural. This workshop brought together leading UK researchers in these fields to discuss the areas of overlap between the two communities. The focus was on the development and use of mathematical and computational tools and models.
Participation: The workshop was attended by members of the systems biology and neuroinformatics communities. Keynote speakers from the two fields set the scene for the workshop and there were short presentations from researchers already active at the interface between neuroinformatics and systems biology. Representatives from funding agencies and from industry also were in attendance.
Discussion sessions: On both days, delegates broke out into smaller groups for discussions to complement and augment the oral presentations. Topics included: What is the best mechanism to support research at this interface? What role can UK researchers play in developing this interface? Can neural simulators be used for systems biology modelling?
A review of the workshop was prepared by Claire Sansom and published in the IEE Proceedings of Systems Biology.
Sponsors: The workshop was also supported by the Scottish Bioinformatics Forum.
Speakers:
- Upinder Bhalla, National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bangalore
- Seth Grant, Sanger Institute, Cambridge
- Nicolas Le Novère, Computational Neurobiology Group, European Bioinformatics Institute, Cambridge
- Kevan Martin, Institute of Neuroinformatics, Zurich
- Hans Westerhoff, Department of Molecular Cell Physiology, Vrije University, Amsterdam
