The realistic modeling of biological systems: A workshop synopsis

There is a growing awareness for the need to understand the basic design principles of living systems. In May of 2005, a diverse group of researchers from the fields of biomedicine, physics, mathematics, engineering, and computer science were brought together in Mizpe Hayamim, Israel to contemplate the current and future trends in computational modeling of biology. In the following work we provide an overview of the discussions that took place and describe some of the research projects that were presented. We also discuss how these seemingly disparate efforts may be integrated and directed at the development of meaningful computational models of biological systems. The wide range of techniques presented in Mizpe Hayamim served to demonstrate not only the breadth of scale found in biology but also the diversity in criteria for the development and application of numerical models in the field. One of the key issues remains the reconciliation of different model types and their effective use as a single composite representation. By attempting to formulate a unifying theme that transcends traditional boundaries between disciplines, it is hoped that this workshop provided a first rallying point that will promote a new level of interaction and synergy in the field.