Bar-Ilan University Sheba Medical CenterThe Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences Tel-Hashomer
The Computational Biology Program
Updated: January 2012
Course Name and Number
Biomathematical Models for Doctors(80-661)
Lecturers' Names
Prof. Avidan Neumann and Prof. Ramit Mehr
Course type: Lecture + Exercise
Year: Advanced degreesSemester: A
Extent: 2 weekly hours lecture + 1 weekly hour exercise, including the computer lab
Intended for: the "Biomedical Computation" program for doctors
A)Course Goals: Acquiring the understanding of, and ability to build and analyze, bio-medical mathematical models.
B)Course contents:
Class format: frontal lectures of the theoretical materials and examples of model application to medical problems from the literature, emphasizing the principles of model construction in biology. Exercise classes – review the mathematical techniques, computer simulations of the models.
Detailed Lecture contents:
Class number / Topic / Lecturer / Remarks1. / Introduction to population dynamics modeling. Examples from HIV. Discrete and Continuous processes. / Prof. Avidan Neumann / Includes the exercise time.
2. / Qualitative discrete models, such as automata. Example – the theoretical basis for immune memory. / Prof. Avidan Neumann / Practice applying the model during the exercise (a discrete model).
3. / Introduction: dynamic system with continuous growth. / Prof. Avidan Neumann / Practice application during the exercise.
4. / Malthusian vs. Logistic population growth. Steady states and stability in dynamical systems.
Examples from metabolism. / Prof. Avidan Neumann / Practice during exercise ("Madonna" software).
5. / Two population models – competition. Examples from virology. / Prof. Avidan Neumann / Practice during exercise (Steady state, stability).
6. / Two population models – predator/prey. Examples from Ecology and Immunology. / Prof. Avidan Neumann / Practice during exercise (one more competition model).
7. / Models if viral dynamics upon primary infection. Models of antiviral therapy. Implications for personalized treatment. / Prof. Avidan Neumann / Practice during exercise (predator/ prey – solution and investigation).
8. / Models in epidemiology. / Prof. Yoram Louzoun (guest lecturer) / Practice during exercise (viral dynamics – solution and investigation).
9. / ModelBuilding – example from immunology. / Prof. Ramit Mehr / Practice during exercise (epidemiology – solution and investigation).
10. / Models of cell population differentiation and selection – examples from immunology. / Prof. Ramit Mehr / Practice during exercise.
11. / Fitting models to quantitative data. / Prof. Ramit Mehr / Practice during exercise (fitting)
12. / Models with feedback – examples from hemopoiesis. / Prof. Ramit Mehr / Practice during exercise
13. / Stochastic models – examples from models of cancer and chemotherapy. / Prof. Ramit Mehr / Practice during exercise
C)Course requirements:
Pre-requisites: None.
Assignments / tasks: open exam (with all materials allowed).
Final grade components: exam grade (numeral).
D)Bibliography:
Murray - Mathematical Biology
Edelshtein-Keshet – Mathematical Models in Biology
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