Bioinformatics for Systems Biology: an introduction to modelling

Course provider:	The University of Manchester
Course contact:	Heather Vincent (heather.vincent@manchester.ac.uk)
Summary:	This course is designed as an introduction to modelling for Systems Biology. It covers the range of different types of data now available for model building. It is an optional module for students following the MSc in Bioinformatics. It could also be taken as an individual short course, for professional development, and could be followed by Introduction to Microarray Data Analysis, or by one or both of two new courses under development: Mathematics for metabolic modelling Computational simulation and analysis of biochemical networks
Syllabus:	This module will provide an introduction to the data and modelling methods for systems biology. It will cover : the use of models in biology; the structure and use of public pathway and interaction databases; the reconstruction of biological networks from experimental data; network statistics; the analysis and interpretation of experimental data in the context of biological networks; advanced topics. The final section will prepare participants for the our course in 'Computational simulation and analysis of biochemical networks'.
Assessment:	The assessment methods: There will be a tutorial exercise for each section of the course.  These exercises will be brief: they are included as one means of maintaining a dialogue between all those participating in the course. This exchange is particularly important for Systems Biology, which spans traditional academic disciplines. There will be two written assessments.  At the discretion of the examiners, you may also be required to attend a viva voce examination.
Further details:	All the course materials are provided within the Moodle virtual learning environment (VLE). The tools provided will allow you to navigate and search through the course textbook, practical exercises and references to other useful texts and URLs. The course textbook is provided as a set of web pages. It will be used to provide the necessary background to the focus of the course, which is problem-based learning. You will interact with the members of the course team, and with other learners, through course bulletin boards. Our students and graduates can use the programme bulletin boards after a course has ended, so we now have a large and supportive online community.
Technical requirements:	This module is entirely web-based, so a reliable internet connection is essential. You will need access to a PC running a recent version of Microsoft Windows, preferably Windows XP or Windows 2000. You will be using Cytoscape for some of the course exercises, so you will also need Java version 5 or 6. Instructions on downloading and installing software are provided within the course.
References:	An online textbook, and recommendations for additional reading, are provided within the course. Additional textbooks, which will be useful for background reading, are: Lawrence E. Hunter The Processes of Life: An Introduction to Molecular Biology MIT Press ISBN-13: 978-0262013055 The above book, written for computer scientists, will be a useful reference text for many of our online modules. Szallasi, Zoltan et al. Systems Modeling in Cellular Biology The MIT Press ISBN: 0-262-19548-8

Back to module page