The unprecedented amount of data produced with high-throughput experimentation forces biologists to employ mathematical representation and computation to glean meaningful information in systems-level biology. Applying this approach to the underlying molecular mechanisms of tumorgenesis, cancer research is enjoying a series of new discoveries and biological insights. Unique in its dualistic approach, this book introduces the concepts and theories of systems biology and their applications in cancer research. It presents basic cancer biology and cutting-edge topics of cancer research for computational biologists alongside systems biology analysis tools for experimental biologists.
The future of cancer research and the development of new therapeutic strategies rely on our ability to convert biological and clinical questions into mathematical models—integrating our knowledge of tumour progression mechanisms with the tsunami of information brought by high-throughput technologies such as microarrays and next-generation sequencing. Offering promising insights on how to defeat cancer, the emerging field of systems biology captures the complexity of biological phenomena using mathematical and computational tools. Novel Approaches to Fighting Cancer Drawn from the authors’ decade-long work in the cancer computational systems biology laboratory at Institut Curie (Paris, France), Computational Systems Biology of Cancer explains how to apply computational systems biology approaches to cancer research. The authors provide proven techniques and tools for cancer bioinformatics and systems biology research. Effectively Use Algorithmic Methods and Bioinformatics Tools in Real Biological Applications Suitable for readers in both the computational and life sciences, this self-contained guide assumes very limited background in biology, mathematics, and computer science. It explores how computational systems biology can help fight cancer in three essential aspects: Categorising tumours Finding new targets Designing improved and tailored therapeutic strategies Each chapter introduces a problem, presents applicable concepts and state-of-the-art methods, describes existing tools, illustrates applications using real cases, lists publically available data and software, and includes references to further reading. Some chapters also contain exercises. Figures from the text and scripts/data for reproducing a breast cancer data analysis are available at www.cancer-systems-biology.net.
Systems biology combines computational and experimental approaches to analyze complex biological systems and focuses on understanding functional activities from a systems-wide perspective. It provides an iterative process of experimental measurements, data analysis, and computational simulation to model biological behavior. This book provides explained protocols for high-throughput experiments and computational analysis procedures central to cancer systems biology research and education. Readers will learn how to generate and analyze high-throughput data, therapeutic target protein structure modeling and docking simulation for drug discovery. This is the first practical guide for students and scientists who wish to become systems biologists or utilize the approach for cancer research.
Praise for Computational Systems BiologyApproaches in Cancer Research: "Complex concepts are written clearly and with informative illustrations and useful links. The book is enjoyable to read yet provides sufficient depth to serve as a valuable resource for both students and faculty." — Trey Ideker, Professor of Medicine, UC Xan Diego, School of Medicine "This volume is attractive because it addresses important and timely topics for research and teaching on computational methods in cancer research. It covers a broad variety of approaches, exposes recent innovations in computational methods, and provides acces to source code and to dedicated interactive web sites." — Yves Moreau, Department of Electrical Engineering, SysBioSys Centre for Computational Systems Biology, University of Leuven With the availability of massive amounts of data in biology, the need for advanced computational tools and techniques is becoming increasingly important and key in understanding biology in disease and healthy states. This book focuses on computational systems biology approaches, with a particular lens on tackling one of the most challenging diseases - cancer. The book provides an important reference and teaching material in the field of computational biology in general and cancer systems biology in particular. The book presents a list of modern approaches in systems biology with application to cancer research and beyond. It is structured in a didactic form such that the idea of each approach can easily be grasped from the short text and self-explanatory figures. The coverage of topics is diverse: from pathway resources, through methods for data analysis and single data analysis to drug response predictors, classifiers and image analysis using machine learning and artificial intelligence approaches. Features Up to date using a wide range of approaches Applicationexample in each chapter Online resources with useful applications’
The book shows how mathematical and computational models can be used to study cancer biology. It introduces the concept of mathematical modeling and then applies it to a variety of topics in cancer biology. These include aspects of cancer initiation and progression, such as the somatic evolution of cells, genetic instability, and angiogenesis. The book also discusses the use of mathematical models for the analysis of therapeutic approaches such as chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and the use of oncolytic viruses.
Understanding Cancer from a Systems Biology Point of View: From Observation to Theory and Back starts with a basic question, why do we sometimes observe accelerated metastatic growth after resection of primary tumors? Next, it helps readers understand the systemic nature of cancer and how it affects treatment approaches and decisions. The book puts together aspects of cancer that many readers have most likely never combined, using unfamiliar, novel methods. It is a valuable resource for cancer researchers, cancer biologists, mathematicians and members of the biomedical field who are interested in applying systems biology methodologies for understanding and treating cancer. - Explains the systemic nature of cancer and how it affects decisions on treatment - Brings a variety of methods together, showing, in detail, the logical approach to finding answers to complex questions - Discusses the theoretical underpinnings of cancer as a systemic disease, providing the reader with valuable information on applicable cases
This edited reflects the current state of knowledge about the role of microRNAs in the formation and progression of solid tumours. The main focus lies on computational methods and applications, together with cutting edge experimental techniques that are used to approach all aspects of microRNA regulation in cancer. We are sure that the emergence of high-throughput quantitative techniques will make this integrative approach absolutely necessary in the near future. This book will be a resource for researchers starting out with cancer microRNA research, but is also intended for the experienced researcher who wants to incorporate concepts and tools from systems biology and bioinformatics into his work. Bioinformaticians and modellers are provided with a general perspective on microRNA biology in cancer, and the state-of-the-art in computational microRNA biology.
The study of the biology of tumours has grown to become markedly interdisciplinary, involving chemists, statisticians, epidemiologists, mathematicians, bioinformaticians, and computer scientists alongside biologists, geneticists, and clinicians. The Oxford Textbook of Cancer Biology brings together the most up-to-date developments from different branches of research into one coherent volume, providing a comprehensive and current account of this rapidly evolving field. Structured in eight sections, the book starts with a review of the development and biology of multi-cellular organisms, how they maintain a healthy homeostasis in an individual, and a description of the molecular basis of cancer development. The book then illustrates, as once cells become neoplastic, their signalling network is altered and pathological behaviour follows. It explores the changes that cancer cells can induce in nearby normal tissue, the new relationship established between them and the stroma, and the interaction between the immune system and tumour growth. The authors illustrate the contribution provided by high throughput techniques to map cancer at different levels, from genomic sequencing to cellular metabolic functions, and how information technology, with its vast amounts of data, is integrated with traditional cell biology to provide a global view of the disease. The effect of the different types of treatments on the biology of the neoplastic cells are explored to understand on the one side, why some treatments succeed, and on the other, how they can affect the biology of resistant and recurrent disease. The book concludes by summarizing what we know to date about cancer, and in what direction our understanding of cancer is moving. Edited by leading authorities in the field with an international team of contributors, this book is an essential resource for scholars and professionals working in the wide variety of sub-disciplines that make up today's cancer research and treatment community. It is written not only for consultation, but also for easy cover-to-cover reading.
Successfully fighting cancer starts with understanding how it begins. This thoroughly revised 3rd Edition explores the scientific basis for our current understanding of malignant transformation and the pathogenesis and treatment of cancer. A team of leading experts thoroughly explain the molecular biologic principles that underlie the diagnostic tests and therapeutic interventions now being used in clinical trials and practice. Incorporating cutting-edge advances and the newest research, the book provides thorough descriptions of everything from molecular abnormalities in common cancers to new approaches for cancer therapy. Features sweeping updates throughout, including molecular targets for the development of anti-cancer drugs, gene therapy, and vaccines...keeping you on the cutting edge of your specialty. Offers a new, more user-friendly full-color format so the information that you need is easier to find. Presents abundant figures-all redrawn in full color-illustrating major concepts for easier comprehension. Features numerous descriptions of the latest clinical strategies-helping you to understand and take advantage of today’s state-of-the-art biotechnology advances.
