|
|
 What is a biological model ?
|
- It is a detailed map of the cellular
mechanisms associated with a pathological state,
allowing the direct identification of
- the pharmacological targets,
and
- the types of molecules
- expected to produce defined therapeutic
effects.
- A biological model has the enormous
advantage of clearly indicating to the experimenter
what should be biologically tested, why, where,
and how.
|
|
Constructing a biological model: an information-dependent process
|
- This procedure is critically dependent upon the quality
and the reliability of the information utilized. The
quality of the information sources must be taken into
account and only well established conclusions must be
retained to validate the important connections represented
in the functional network.
- Nevertheless, it must be recognized that published
information, of whatever source, suffers, to varying
degrees, from three characteristics uncontrollable by
the user:
- The information is always
- incomplete
to an unknown extent,
- inaccurate
to an unknown extent, and
- slanted in
an unknown manner.
- For this very reason, a theoretical model built by
integration of published information cannot be regarded
as entirely correct.
- It is merely an approximation of reality.
|
Download the complete document (281 Ko)
Copyright © 2003 Bio-Modeling Systems / BMSystems. All rights reserved
bmsystems@bmsystems.net
|
