NTNU Biotechnology Distinguished Speaker Series welcomes professor Albert Goldbeter Tuesday April 21st 10:00 – 11:00, in auditorium MTA, Medisinsk Teknisk
Forskningssenter, NTNU/St Olav´s Hospital
(http://s.mazemap.com/1CgGY8F)
And
Wednesday April 22nd 10:00 – 11:00, in auditorium EL4, Elektro-blokk B,
NTNU Gløshaugen
(http://s.mazemap.com/1FizinG)
In collaboration with NTNU Departments the Distinguished Speaker Series
brings to Trondheim compelling speakers with unique perspectives on issues
of major relevance for NTNU’s cross campus biotechnology programme:
NTNU Biotechnology – the Confluence of Life Sciences, Mathematical
Sciences and Engineering.
Rhythmic phenomena occur at all levels of biological organization, with
periods ranging from milliseconds to years. Cellular rhythms originate from the
regulatory feedback loops that control the dynamics of biochemical processes
and represent a phenomenon of temporal self-organization. We are pleased
to announce that one of the world’s foremost experts on biological rhythms,
Albert Goldbeter, Faculty of Sciences, Université Libre de Bruxelles,
comes to Trondheim to give two talks. Tuesday April 21st at NTNU/St Olav´s
Hospital he holds a talk intended for a medical/biological/life-science oriented
audience, and on Wednesday 22nd at NTNU/Gløshaugen he holds a talk
intended for a mathematical/modeling/engineering oriented audience.
Abstract April 21st:
Biological rhythms: From molecular mechanism to clinical and societal
impact
Biological rhythms play essential roles in many key physiological processes
such as the heartbeat, respiration, intestinal waves, uterine contractions,
pulsatile hormone release, and circadian oscillations which occur with a
period close to 24h and allow the adaptation of organisms to the periodicity of
our environment. Biological oscillations represent a process of temporal selforganization as they occur spontaneously as a result of a variety of feedback
regulations. I will focus on the mechanism of biological rhythms at the cellular
level and on their clinical implications. Originating from genetic regulation,
circadian rhythms are of particular import as they control metabolism,
nutrition, as well as the sleep-wake cycle and jet lag, and have significant
societal impact, e.g. on shift work and school schedules. Beyond their
fundamental interest, understanding the origin and properties of biological
rhythms, and the conditions in which they occur, helps us to address their
clinical and societal impact.
Abstract April 22nd:
Modeling biological clocks: From circadian rhythms to the cell cycle
Rhythmic phenomena occur at all levels of biological organization, with
periods ranging from a fraction of a second to years. Cellular rhythms
originate from the regulatory feedback loops that control the dynamics of
biochemical processes and represent a phenomenon of temporal selforganization. They illustrate how an emergent property, autonomous
oscillatory behavior, arises from molecular interactions in regulatory networks.
This explains why oscillatory phenomena abound at the cellular level.
Biochemical oscillations and cellular rhythms can best be addressed by
combining an experimental with a modeling approach. After providing an
overview of biological rhythms and of modeling approaches to their underlying
mechanisms, I will focus on two major examples of rhythmic behavior at the
cellular level: circadian clocks and the cell cycle. I will use these examples to
illustrate the evolutionary nature of modeling biological systems. Circadian
rhythms occur spontaneously with a period close to 24h in all eukaryotes and
some prokaryote species, allowing these organisms to adapt to the periodic
alternation of day and night that characterizes our environment.
Computational models of increasing complexity were built to address the
origin of circadian rhythms, first in the fly Drosophila and later in mammals. I
will show how mathematical models contribute to clarify the molecular
mechanism of circadian rhythms and the dynamical bases of circadian clockrelated physiological disorders in humans, such as jet lag and a disorder
known as Familial Advanced Sleep Phase Syndrome (FASPS). Finally I will
use mathematical models of increasing complexity to discuss the dynamics of
the enzymatic network that drives progression through the successive phases
of the cell cycle. The coupling of the cell cycle to the circadian clock can lead
to synchronization of these two major cellular rhythms.
The talk is hosted by post.doc Nils Kristian Skjærvold, Department of Circulation and
Medical Imaging.
And last, but not least, sandwiches, fruit, coffee, and tea will be served.
*****************
Short bio for Albert Goldbeter:
University degrees:
Licence en Sciences chimiques
(MSc in Chemistry) (1969) at
Université Libre de Bruxelles,
ULB, Brussels, Belgium.
PhD in Chemistry (1973, ULB)
in the group of I. Prigogine.
Post-doctoral stay:
Weizmann Institute of Sciences
(Rehovot, Israël), 1973-75.
Research stay abroad:
University of California,
Berkeley, July1979December1980 (collaboration with Daniel E. Koshland, Jr).
Current position:
Professor, Faculty of Sciences, Université Libre de
Bruxelles (ULB, Brussels, Belgium).
Laboratory:
Unit of Theoretical Chronobiology. Service of Physical
Chemistry and Theoretical Biology.
Publications:
Author/co-author of some 200 articles.
Ses list at: http://www.ulb.ac.be/sciences/utc/GOLDBETER/agoldbet.html
Fields of Research:
Systems Biology / Computational Biology / Mathematical
modeling / Biophysics / Theoretical Biology / Cellular rhythms /
Chronobiology / Circadian clocks / Cell Cycle
Varia:
Member of the Class of Sciences, Royal Academy of Belgium (ARB).
Director of the Class of Sciences of the ARB (January 2009-December 2010).
Quinquennial Prize in Exact Fundamental Sciences awarded in 2011 by the Belgian Fund
for Scientific Research (F.R.S.-FNRS) for the period 2006-2010.
Merck Sharp & Dohme 1991 Prize awarded by the Belgian Fund for Scientific Research.
Miller Research Professor (February-March 1989), University of California, Berkeley,
USA.
Visiting Professor (May 2004), Université Pierre et Marie Curie-Paris VI, France.
International Blaise Pascal Research Chair (2005-06), University Paris XI-Orsay, France.
Francqui Chair (2007), University of Liège, Belgium.
Senior Visiting Professor (April-May 2011), Fudan University, China.
Visiting Professor (October 2013), Nanjing Agricultural University, China.
Books:
Goldbeter A. La vie oscillatoire- Au cœur des rythmes du vivant, 2010, Odile Jacob, Paris.
Goldbeter A. 1996. Biochemical Oscillations and Cellular Rhythms. The molecular bases of
periodic and chaotic behaviour. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.
Goldbeter A. 1990. Rythmes et chaos dans les systèmes biochimiques et cellulaires. Paris,
Masson.
Goldbeter A. (Editor), 1989. Cell to Cell Signalling. From experiments to theoretical
models. Academic Press, London.