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ABOUT PSB DOTS NO WATERMARK.jpg
One of the defining features of living organisms is their astonishing complexity. Even seemingly simple single cell organisms such as microbes display exceedingly complex behaviors, determined by intricate molecular networks in which large numbers of molecular components, pathways and chemical reactions act together. These behaviors have fascinated scientists for decades and include development, response to pathogenic and environmental insults and interactions with other organisms. Understanding how complexity of living systems arises and coordinates cellular function and pathologies continues to be one of the principal goals of biomedical research today.
The Program in Systems Biology (PSB) studies how biological complexity can be derived and understood from the interplay between individual components and processes that combine to make up living organisms.

PSB started in the fall of 2011 and currently comprises seven research groups. The program maintains and continues to encourage collaborations between the groups, as well as with other programs and departments across UMMS. The PSB is located in the Albert Sherman Center, a state-of-the-art research and education facility designed to promote collaboration and communication between cutting-edge research programs and to enhance graduate and medical education.

The program brings together an enthusiastic and highly collaborative group of scientists that employ an array of experimental and computational approaches to study a variety of biological systems. Research in the program ranges from quantitative studies of properties of single cells to analyses of complex phenotypes of animals, and leverages the latest technological developments in the areas of molecular biology, genomics, high-content imaging, quantitative modeling, computer science and bioinformatics. The commonality of all research in the program is the integration of high-throughput experimentation and quantitative data analyses to study how biological systems behave, respond, adapt and evolve. Disease states are increasingly considered to be caused not by a singular biochemical alteration, but instead are viewed as the result of wider disruptions of the complex interplay between the many molecular components and processes that make up the human body. Researchers in the program aim to unravel how systems go awry in a variety of pathologies and how systems can be perturbed to mitigate disease.

Latest News

The Program in Systems Biology Welcomes our Newest Rotation Students

September, 2021
 

Gavin Birdsall - Joins the Lee Lab for Rotation

Vista Sohrab - Joins the Mitchell Lab for Rotation

Carmen Li - Joins the Shank Lab for Rotation

Lauren Intravaia - Joins the Walhout Lab for Rotation

Bradley Class Joins the Youk Lab for Rotation

Mitchell Lab Publication

September, 2021
 

Assembling stable syntrophic Escherichia coli communities by comprehensively identifying beneficiaries of secreted goods
 

The Mitchell Lab Welcomes Sydney Schock (GSBS Student)!

September, 2021
 

The Youk Lab Welcomes Helen Magana (GSBS Student)!

September, 2021
 

The Dekker Lab Welcomes Jiangyuan Liu (GSBS Student) and Xiangru Huo (Bioinformatician)!

September, 2021
 

Shank Lab Publication

August, 2021
 

Expanding Molecular Coverage in Mass Spectrometry Imaging of Microbial Systems Using Metal-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization
 

Mitchell Lab Publication

August, 2021
 

Rapid signaling reactivation after targeted BRAF inhibition predicts the proliferation of individual melanoma cells from an isogenic population
 

Congratulations to Mariana Noto Guillen from the Mitchell Lab!

June, 2021

Mariana was nominated and selected to received the Dean's Award for Outstanding Mid-thesis Research by the GSBS Awards and Recognition Committe!
 

Congratulations to Michael Lee!

June, 2021

Michael Lee received a 22 month sponsored research agreement with Hillstream Biopharma. The project is titled “Chemo-genetic profiling to identify mechanisms of action and genetic determinants of sensitivity for novel chemotherapeutics” and this collaboration isto determine the mechanisms of action and chemo-genetic interactions for their novel compound.
 

Walhout Lab Publicaton:

June, 2021
 

WormPaths: Caenorhabditis elegans metabolic pathway annotation and visualization
 

Dekker Lab Publications:

May, 2021
 

Liquid chromatin Hi-C characterizes compartment-dependent chromatin interaction dynamics

Genetic and spatial organization of the unusual chromosomes of the dinoflagellate Symbiodinium microadriaticum
 

Congratulations to Marian Walhout: The Li Weibo Institute for Rare Diseases Research pilot grant application was selected for funding!

March, 2021
 

Congratulations to Nicola Minchell on The Marie Curie Global Fellowship!

January, 2021
 

We Welcome Nicola Minchell, Visiting Scholar From the University of Cambridge, UK, to the Dekker Lab and Program in Systems Biology!

January, 2021
 

We welcome Rachel Walker, Research assistant, to the Youk Lab and Program in Systems Biology!

January, 2021
 

 

Congratulations to Dr. Elizabeth Shank on Receiving Tenure!

January, 2021

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