Modeling Projects

ProMoT is applied in diverse research areas like chemical engineering and systems biology. Recently the applicability to synthetic biology has also been shown.

Logical Modeling of growth factor signaling in hepatocytes

In the Junior Research Group ​Analysis and Redesign of Biological Networks at the MPI Magdeburg, we built up a large-scale logical model of epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor signaling in hepatocytes using ProMoT. The model comprises 106 species and 207 interactions describing signaling through the four different receptors of the EGF receptor family in response to 13 different ligands. The Erk/JNK/p38 MAPK pathways are included as well as PI3K signaling, the PLC gamma pathway and activation of STATs. The output layer is made up of different transcription factors and kinases that are important for proliferation, growth and survival.

To analyze the model, it is exported to the software tool ​CellNetAnalyzer. The results of the analysis in CellNetAnalyzer are again imported in ProMoT, where they are visualized.

The model is currently extended by the hepatocyte growth factor signaling pathway; further pathways will be included in the near future. This project is part of the research initiative ​HepatoSys (funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, BMBF).

Virtual Fuel Cell Laboratory

ProMoT was used to implement and develop a hierarchical structured model library for the description and analysis of fuel cell systems ​http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/FUCE.200400069.