Editorial: Integrative computational systems biology approaches in immunology and medicine
Abstract
New technologies provide the ability to generate massive amounts of immunological data in health and disease. However, this “Big data” trend is becoming more challenging and unfeasible by the steep increase in the number of different pieces of information and the complexity of large datasets. Thus, systematic and tractable approaches that integrate a variety of biological and medical research data at multiple scales into mathematical, statistical, and computational models are crucial to harness knowledge and to develop new therapies.
Full text
EDITORIAL
published: 23 Janua y 2019
doi: 10.3389/ micb.2018.03338
F on ie s in Mic obiology | www. on ie sin.o g 1Janua y 2019 | Volume 9 | A icle 3338
Edi ed by:
Ma ias Collin,
Lund Uni e si y, Sweden
Re iewed by:
Thomas Hellma k,
Lund Uni e si y, Sweden
Pon us No den el ,
Lund Uni e si y, Sweden
*Co espondence:
Es eban A. He nandez-Va gas
[email p o ec ed]
Special y sec ion:
This a icle was submi ed o
In ec ious Diseases,
a sec ion o he jou nal
F on ie s in Mic obiology
Recei ed: 02 No embe 2018
Accep ed: 24 Decembe 2018
Published: 23 Janua y 2019
Ci a ion:
Kade ali L, Theis F, Ganuso VV,
Ciupe SM, Meh R, Ribei o RM and
He nandez-Va gas EA (2019) Edi o ial:
In eg a i e Compu a ional Sys ems
Biology App oaches in Immunology
and Medicine.
F on . Mic obiol. 9:3338.
doi: 10.3389/ micb.2018.03338
Edi o ial: In eg a i e Compu a ional
Sys ems Biology App oaches in
Immunology and Medicine
La s Kade ali1, Fabian Theis2, Vi aly V. Ganuso 3, S anca M. Ciupe4, Rami Meh 5,
Ruy M. Ribei o6and Es eban A. He nandez-Va gas7*
1Ins i u e o Bioin o ma ics, Uni e si ä smedizin G ei swald, G ei swald, Ge many, 2Helmhol z Zen um München,
Neuhe be g, Ge many, 3Depa men o Mic obiology, Uni e si y o Tennessee, Knox ille, Knox ille, TN, Uni ed S a es,
4Depa men o Ma hema ics, Vi ginia Tech, Blacksbu g, VA, Uni ed S a es, 5The Mina & E e a d Goodman Facul y o Li e
Sciences, Ba -Ilan Uni e si y, Rama Gan, Is ael, 6Faculdade de Medicina da Uni e sidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Po ugal,
7F ank u Ins i u e o Ad anced S udies, F ank u am Main, Ge many
Keywo ds: ma hema ical modeling, sys ems biology, immunology, in ec ious diseases, i ology
Edi o ial on he Resea ch Topic
In eg a i e Compu a ional Sys ems Biology App oaches in Immunology and Medicine
New echnologies p o ide he abili y o gene a e massi e amoun s o immunological da a in heal h
and disease. Howe e , his “Big da a” end is becoming mo e challenging and un easible by he
s eep inc ease in he numbe o di e en pieces o in o ma ion and he complexi y o la ge da ase s.
Thus, sys ema ic and ac able app oaches ha in eg a e a a ie y o biological and medical esea ch
da a a mul iple scales in o ma hema ical, s a is ical, and compu a ional models a e c ucial o
ha ness knowledge and o de elop new he apies.
A “F on ie s in Immunology” and “F on ie s in Mic obiology” esea ch opic was p oposed o
add ess he cu en s a e o he a o bioin o ma ics and compu a ional models co e ing p ocesses
a mul iple empo al and/o spa ial scales (e.g., genes, molecula , cells, issues, o gans, indi idual,
and popula ion) and in combina ion wi h animal expe imen s and clinical da a. An addi ional
eason o p epa e his esea ch opic was o celeb a e he 70 h bi hday o Alan Pe elson, one o
he pionee s o ma hema ical modeling in i ology and immunology.
A o al o 23 pape s we e accep ed o publica ion, which a es s o he imeliness o he
opic. The pape s included in his Resea ch Topic e lec many o he open issues in heo e ical
immunology and in ec ious diseases. Some o he pape s add ess challenging ques ions—such as
he unde s anding o HIV and he immune sys em (Vaidya e al.;Mó éh e al.;He nandez-Va gas;
Yang and Ganuso ;Cangelosi e al.;Ciupe e al.), he e ec o pa asi es du ing a mala ia in ec ion
(Thak e e al.), how immune cells ope a e in ge minal cen e s (Ami ai e al.;Joslyn e al.) o in he
lymph nodes (Tasnim e al.); and he quan i ica ion o in luenza i al dynamics (Smi h e al.). Fou
pape s p oposed a mul iscale modeling app oach wi h he main goal o b ing oge he da a om
di e en scales (Ca u he s e al.;Quin ela e al.;Lehne and Figge;Zi zmann and Kade ali). The
p oblem o adi ional i ing me hods o ODEs applied o noisy p oblems was discussed in his
esea ch opic (Rome o-Se e son e al.). Ul ima ely, nume ical simula ions (Pigozzo e al.;Timme
e al.;P auße e al.) and bioin o ma ic ools (Pandey e al.;Naz e al.;Fa ías e al.;Ga g e al.) show
he impo ance o sys ems biology in unde s anding expe imen al ou comes.
These pape s p o ide a b oad o e iew o cu en issues in sys ems biology and we would like
o hank he F on ie s edi o ial s a , all he au ho s who con ibu ed excellen pape s, and he
e iewe s whose wo k has made publica ion o his esea ch opic possible.
Kade ali e al. In eg a i e Compu a ional Sys ems Biology App oaches
AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONS
All au ho s lis ed ha e made a subs an ial, di ec and in ellec ual
con ibu ion o he wo k, and app o ed i o publica ion.
Con lic o In e es S a emen : The au ho s decla e ha he esea ch was
conduc ed in he absence o any comme cial o inancial ela ionships ha could
be cons ued as a po en ial con lic o in e es .
Copy igh © 2019 Kade ali, Theis, Ganuso , Ciupe, Meh , Ribei o and He nandez-
Va gas. This is an open-access a icle dis ibu ed unde he e ms o he
C ea i e Commons A ibu ion License (CC BY). The use, dis ibu ion o
ep oduc ion in o he o ums is pe mi ed, p o ided he o iginal au ho (s)
and he copy igh owne (s) a e c edi ed and ha he o iginal publica ion in
his jou nal is ci ed, in acco dance wi h accep ed academic p ac ice. No use,
dis ibu ion o ep oduc ion is pe mi ed which does no comply wi h hese
e ms.
F on ie s in Mic obiology | www. on ie sin.o g 2Janua y 2019 | Volume 9 | A icle 3338