Contact Name: Prof. Emanuele Domenico Giordano
Abstract
Synthetic biology seeks to design biological parts and circuits that implement new functions in cells. Major accomplishments have been reported in this field, yet predicting a priori the in vivo behaviour of synthetic gene circuits is a major challenge. Mathematical models offer a means to address this bottleneck. However, in biology, modelling is perceived as an expensive, time-consuming task. Indeed, the quality of predictions depends on the accuracy of parameters, which are traditionally inferred from poorly informative data. Using model-based optimal experimental design (MBOED) provides a significant advantage in the identification of models of biological parts and should thus be integrated into their characterisation.