Aug 24 : University of Manchester researchers are working to adjust and modify the behaviour of living cells to help fight diseases like cancer and diabetes, through the emerging field of science and engineering known as Systems Biology.

Systems Biology combines molecular biology and mathematics, which have traditionally been seen as the equivalents of fire and water. This type of research is still viewed as controversial by some in the scientific community.

The researchers have discovered that networking in living cells might determine whether a cell causes diabetes or cancer or helps to maintain our health.

As part of the ‘Biology of Microorganisms’ (SysMO) research programme Douglas Kell, Hans Westerhoff and colleagues will drive a project that looks at how the yeast used in the production of beer and bread can be turned into an efficient producer of bioethanol.

Other work to be carried out in Manchester includes the investigation of ‘lactobacilli’. Some of these occasionally turn into flesh-eating bacteria or cause human diseases such as strep throat and rashes, whereas others are completely safe and are used in the production of cheeses and yoghurts.

The researchers will also look at ‘pseudomonads’, soil bacteria that may make people ill but can also be used to degrade nasty compounds in the environment, or to create compounds now being made by chemical industries.

They will also focus on ‘thermophilic’ organisms that live naturally in hot springs, and examine how their networks enable them to survive high and varying temperatures. It’s hoped that this research will reveal how to make any living organism cope better with extreme conditions. It may also lead to better performance of detergents and cosmetics.

“This is a unique opportunity to begin to understand how networking contributes to the functioning of living cells inside and outside our bodies,” Hans Westerhoff said.
Researchers believe that this approach will allow them to obtain a very large set of mathematical equations that describe living cells. This may then allow those cells to be engineered in a number of ways, with numerous benefits in the field of medicine and in the commercial world. (ANI)