researchPublished 2005
Network theory aids understanding of within-cell processes
In the November 2005 issue of Journal of Cell Science, Réka Albert reviews how network theory can aid cell biologists. Using examples from the literature on protein interactions, transcription, signal transduction and functional association, she illustrates how graph and network models can quantitatively describe relationships between different components of the cell. She goes on to discuss how an understanding of networks can prompt testable hypotheses about cell processes and their evolution.
Based in the Physics Department at Penn State, Albert is currently collaborating with biologists and immunologists to apply network models to problems ranging from subcellular processes — such as signal transduction within cells infected by a pathogen — to the spread of disease across whole host populations.
» Read the article on the Journal of Cell Science website