Abstract

 An important idea emerging in this post-genomic era is that the cell can be viewed as a complex network of interacting proteins, nucleic acids, and other biomolecules. Similarly, complex networks are also used to describe the structures of a number of wide-ranging systems, including the Internet, power grids, the ecological food web, and scientific collaborations. Despite the seemingly vast differences among these systems, they all share some common features in terms of their network topology. Therefore, networks may provide a framework for describing biology in a universal language understandable by a broad audience. In this talk, I will review the current progress and challenges in applying network approaches to study protein functions

Brief Biography: Dr. Lu is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Biomedical Informatics at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC). His research is focused on applying computer science and applied mathematics concepts to address fundamental questions in molecular biology. He obtained his Ph.D. in computational molecular biology from Washington University, St. Louis, in 2003, and was a post-doctoral research associate in Bio-Informatics at Yale University from 2003 to 2007.