In Silico Systems Biology

Systems biology is now an established and fundamental field in life
sciences. It has facilitated the move from the identification of
molecular ‘parts lists’ for living organisms towards integrating
information from different ‘omics’-based approaches with our knowledge on
the underlying biochemical mechanisms, to generate and test new
hypotheses about how biological systems work.

This popular computational course, run jointly with EMBL-EBI, will provide participants with
an overview of modelling approaches and an introduction to network
analysis. The course will combine lectures, practical sessions and group
activities, and there will be opportunities for discussion of current
trends in the field.

Target audience
The course is aimed at PhD students and researchers with a minimum of one
year experience in the field of systems biology modelling, and who are
using systems-based modelling approaches to understand biological and
biomedical problems.

Feedback from the 2015 course
“Really excellent course, thank you very much, ideally pitched (for a
biologist with a keen interest in modelling but
very basic math/programming skills) and very comprehensive.”
“Thanks, the course gave me a really good overview of the available
methodology and tools.”
“I learned a lot of extremely useful things that gave me direction and
ideas for my current project but also for my
post-PhD career.”
“Thank you very much for the course, I will recommend it to my
colleagues.”

The programme will include lecture and practical computational sessions
covering the following topics:

• Qualitative Modelling: modelling and simulation of  networks using logic approaches and analysis of their dynamic properties
• Quantitative Modelling: Chemical kinetics, constraint-based modelling and stochastic simulations, including spatial representations
• Network Analysis and Pathway Enrichment
• Model Sharing: how to encode and annotate models

Learning Objectives
After this course you should be able to:

• Identify strengths and weaknesses in a variety of systems biology modelling approaches
• Use a range of bioinformatics and modelling software to develop predictive and mechanistic models
• Access, query and retrieve models from public repositories for systems biology
• Use data standards in your work
• Identify an appropriate modelling approach for a given biological question and dataset

Scientific Organising Committee
Nicolas Le Novère Babraham Institute, UK
Julio Saez-Rodriguez RWTH-Aachen, Germany & EMBL-EBI, UK
Karin Sasaki EMBL, Germany
Laura Emery EMBL-EBI, UK

Course Trainers
Nicolas Le Novère Babraham Institute, UK
Julio Saez-Rodriguez RWTH-Aachen, Germany & EMBL-EBI, UK
Kiran Patil EMBL, Germany
Karin Sasaki EMBL, Germany
Pablo Porras EMBL-EBI, UK
Javier De Las Rivas Bioinformatics & Functional Genomics Group,  CSIC/USAL, Salamanca, Spain
Sven Sahle BioQuant, University of Heidelberg, Germany
Jörg Stelling ETH Zurich, Switzerland
Sarah Keating EMBL-EBI, UK
Laurence Calzone Institut Curie, France
Vijayalakshmi Chelliah EMBL-EBI, UK
Emanuel Goncalves EMBL-EBI, UK
Karen Lipkow University of Cambridge, UK
Nicolas Rodriguez Babraham Institute, UK
Bhupinder Virk Babraham Institute, UK

Prerequisites
Applicants should be PhD students and researchers with a minimum of one
year experience in the field of systems biology modelling, and who are
using systems-based modelling approaches to understand biological and
biomedical problems.

Cost
The
course is subsidised by the Wellcome Genome Campus
Advanced Courses and Scientific Conferences Programme. This is a
residential
course and there is a fee of £595 towards board and lodging
for non-commercial applicants. Please contact us for the commercial fee.

Applications
Applications for this course can be completed online. If you have any
problems with the online application process, please contact us.

Please note: Applications
must be supported by a
recommendation from a scientific or clinical sponsor (e.g. supervisor or
head of department). A request for a supporting
statement will be sent
to your nominated sponsor automatically during
the application process.
Applicants must ensure that their sponsor
provides this supporting
statement by the application deadline. Applications without a supporting
statement cannot be considered.

Deadlines
Deadline for Applications: Closed

Bursaries
Advanced Courses are subsidised for non-commercial applicants from
anywhere in the world. Additional, limited bursaries are
available (up
to 50% of the course fee) and are awarded on merit. If you would like to
apply for a
bursary, please complete the bursary section of the online
application
form.

Please note that both the applicant
and sponsor are required to provide
a justification for the
bursary as part of the application.

Bursary terms and conditions

UK Courses (held at the Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton,
Cambridge)
A
limited number of bursaries are available for each course. These are
awarded by the selection committee according to merit. The bursary
covers a maximum of 50% of the course fee, though in exceptional
circumstances an application for the total course fee may be considered.
Where there are many bursary applications, the selection committee may
issue smaller amounts. We cannot assist with travel costs to attend UK
courses.

Overseas Courses (held outside of the UK)
A
limited number of bursaries are available for each course. These are
awarded on merit to cover travel, accommodation and sustenance. The
maximum award for travel (economy class) will be £750.

Bursaries can be applied for as part of the course application form.
Applicants
will be notified of a bursary award along with their place on
the
course, usually within one month of the application deadline. The
decision of the selection committee is
final.