Systems Biology (Methods in Molecular Biology)

Chapter 17

Systems Biology-Driven Hypotheses Tested In Vivo:

The Need to Advancing Molecular Imaging Tools

Garima Verma, Alessandro Palombo, Mauro Grigioni, Morena La Monaca,

and Giuseppe D’Avenio

Abstract

Processing and interpretation of biological images may provide invaluable insights on complex, living
systems because images capture the overall dynamics as a “whole.” Therefore, “extraction” of key, quanti-
tative morphological parameters could be, at least in principle, helpful in building a reliable systems biology
approach in understanding living objects. Molecular imaging tools for system biology models have attained
widespread usage in modern experimental laboratories. Here, we provide an overview on advances in the
computational technology and different instrumentations focused on molecular image processing and
analysis. Quantitative data analysis through various open source software and algorithmic protocols will
provide a novel approach for modeling the experimental research program. Besides this, we also highlight
the predictable future trends regarding methods for automatically analyzing biological data. Such tools will
be very useful to understand the detailed biological and mathematical expressions under in-silico system
biology processes with modeling properties.

Key wordsMolecular imaging, Software, System biology, Omics, Modeling, Laboratory data

management

1 Introduction

System biology is a growing field of research, stimulated by the

combination of multiple factors: primarily, the advent of high-

performance computing enables the simulation of the behavior of

increasingly complex dynamic systems, described by the large num-

ber of equations. Moreover, the abundance of data from experi-

mental biology is amenable to providing the appropriate input to

sophisticated models of biological domains, as well as data for the

validation of such models. System biology aim is centered on the

description by quantitative experimental methodologies and the

calculation of the behavior of the mathematical models represent-

ing the biological processes in order to discover the novel

Mariano Bizzarri (ed.),Systems Biology, Methods in Molecular Biology, vol. 1702,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-7456-6_17,©Springer Science+Business Media LLC 2018

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