(Phys.org) -- In a breakthrough effort for computational
biology, the world's first complete computer model of an
organism has been completed, Stanford researchers reported in
the journal Cell. A team led by Stanford bioengineering
Professor Markus Covert used data from more than 900 scientific
papers to account for every molecular interaction that takes
place in the life cycle of Mycoplasma genitalium the world's
smallest free-living bacterium. By encompassing the entirety of
an organism in silicon, 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. "This achievement
demonstrates a transforming approach to answering questions
about fundamental biological processes," said James M. Anderson,
director of the National Institutes of Health Division of
Program Coordination, Planning and Strategic Initiati