National Centers for Systems Biology
New National Center for Systems Biology to Create “Virtual Rat”
Published August 11, 2011
National Center for Systems Biology to be established at Medical College: Researchers to Create “Virtual Rat”
The Medical College of Wisconsin has received a five-year, $13 million grant to establish a National Center for Systems Biology.
Daniel Beard, PhD, professor of physiology and member of the Biotechnology and Bioengineering Center, is the Principal Investigator for the grant.
The first goal of the center is to create a computational model that will integrate data in the form of a virtual physiological rat to help investigators predict and understand physiological function and disease. This will fill a major gap in the understanding of the multiple genetic and environmental causes of diseases. Researchers working on The Virtual Physiological Rat (VPR) will develop computational tools to decipher the underlying causes of diseases, including hypertension, renal disease, heart failure, and metabolic syndromes. Computer simulations will be used to translate the findings from animals to yield new information about complex disease in humans.