Predicting complex biology with simple chemistry
- Department of Chemistry and Volen Center for Complex Systems, MS 015, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02454-9110
One of the most important activities in science is the development of models, i.e., simpler representations, often by mathematical equations, of more complex systems, which capture key aspects of those systems. A model, of course, cannot be identical to its target system and must discard at least some of the features of the full system while focusing on those characteristics that the modeler considers essential. A successful model not only reproduces the desired behavior(s) but also provides insight into the workings of the system and, ideally, generates testable predictions about the system. In this issue of PNAS, Kastrup et al. (1) design a set of chemical reactions coupled to a microfluidic system to model the initiation of blood clotting in the complex network of hemostasis. This tour de force significantly extends the scope of chemical reactions as a source of fruitful models for complex biological processes.
The use of chemical models for biological phenomena goes back at least to Luther's effort a century ago (2) to elucidate the conduction of nerve impulses by demonstrating before the Deutsche Bunsengesellschaft a traveling …
*E-mail: epstein{at}brandeis.edu
