Algorithm to identify biochemical pathways will guide future research

Developed at North Carolina State University, the processes include those responsible for gene expression, cell signalling, stress response, and metabolism.

‘Our goal was to identify modules, or functional units, which are critical to the performance of the biochemical pathways that govern a host of biological processes,’ said Dr. Cranos Williams, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at NC State and senior author of a paper describing the work.

’For example, a car has lots of modules – the parts that make it go, the parts that make it stop, the parts that let you steer, etc. If you understand those modules, you understand how the car works. But if you just have a list of parts, that’s not very helpful.

’And what we have right now for many biochemical pathways is essentially just a list of parts – metabolites, biochemical reactions and enzymes that facilitate those reactions – and, in some cases, how those parts change over time. What we need is a clear understanding of which parts work together. That’s where our new algorithm comes in.’