Modeling the Heart--from Genes to Cells to the Whole Organ
Denis Noble
Successful physiological analysis requires an
understanding of the functional interactions between the key components
of cells, organs, and systems, as well as how these interactions change in disease states. This information resides neither in the genome nor
even in the individual proteins that genes code for. It lies at the
level of protein interactions within the context of subcellular, cellular, tissue, organ, and system structures. There is therefore no
alternative to copying nature and computing these interactions to
determine the logic of healthy and diseased states. The rapid growth in
biological databases; models of cells, tissues, and organs; and the
development of powerful computing hardware and algorithms have made it
possible to explore functionality in a quantitative manner all the way
from the level of genes to the physiological function of whole organs
and regulatory systems. This review illustrates this development in the
case of the heart. Systems physiology of the 21st century is set to
become highly quantitative and, therefore, one of the most
computer-intensive disciplines.
University Laboratory of Physiology, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PT,
UK. E-mail: denis.noble{at}physiol.ox.ac.uk
