It is interesting to think that it is 2012 and researchers are just now finishing a computer model of an organism -- in this case, the tiny parasite Mycoplasma genitalium. We are quite a way from a complete model of a human being - much less an individualized model. That said, steps like these are critical to advancing the science to that level.
From Stanford University:
In a breakthrough effort for computational biology, the world's first complete computer model of an organism has been completed, Stanford researchers reported last week in the journal Cell.
By encompassing the entirety of an organism in silico, the paper fulfills a longstanding goal for the field. Not only does the model allow researchers to address questions that aren't practical to examine otherwise, it represents a stepping-stone toward the use of computer-aided design in bioengineering and medicine. Link to the original article.
Here's a related article:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/07/to-simulate-the-simplest-microbe-in-the-world-you-need-128-computers/260198/