Whole-cell models are large, complex models that simulate the entire life cycle of a cell. Their capacity for producing large and diverse quantities of data means that they can give a more detailed insight into the interactions between different cellular processes than in vivo data, and are cheaper and easier than performing lab experiments. Their uses vary from genome design to drug testing, and although they will never be as accurate as living cells, they are powerful tools that can inform experiment design and be used in tandem with lab work. Our group have used various computational methods with the two existing whole-cell models (of M.genitalium and E.coli) for applications such as finding minimal genomes and metabolic flux analysis, where our long term goals are to understand how we can design genomes to produce desired phenotypes.

Latest projects:

• Minimal genome design using the M.genitalium whole-cell model
• Understanding metabolic behaviour in the M.genitalium whole-cell model
• Functional metabolic modules in E.coli