Stellenbosch University

The Snoep Lab’s core research efforts are in Computational Systems Biology; a combined experimental, modeling and theoretical approach to quantitatively understand the functional behavior of Biological Systems resulting from the characteristics of their components. Our main focus is on metabolism, of human pathogens such as Plasmodium falciparum, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, but also of breast cancer cell lines, and on modelling disease states such as glucose homeostatis in type 2 diabetes, and ...

This is the exchange platform of the COMBINE network.

COMBINE is an initiative to coordinate the development of various community standards and formats for computational models: BioPax, CellML, NeuroML, Synthetic Biology Open Language (SBOL), Systems Biology Graphical Notation (SBGN), Systems Biology Markup Language (SBML), Simulation Experiment Description Markup Language (SED-ML).

This programme is used to store published data files that are not available in other FAIRDOM projects. We specifically store information for journals that we collaborate with for technical curation of mathematical models. These files are used in COMBINE archives to reproduce journal figures.

Up-regulation of glycolytic flux (glucose to lactate conversion), also known as the “Warburg effect”, has been associated with 90% of cancers. We implemented a systems biology approach in order to improve the overall understanding of the “Warburg effect” as well as identifying drug targets within the glycolytic pathway.

Hypoglycaemia and lactic acidosis are key diagnostics for poor chances of survival in malaria patients. In this project we aim to test to what extent the metabolic activity of Plasmodium falciparum contributes to a changed glucose metabolism in malaria patients. The approach is to start with detailed bottom up models for the parasite and then merge these with more coarse grained models at the whole body level.

The Molecular Systems Biology project holds information for reproducing simulation figures in the journal. This can include experimental data files, model files and manuscript information.

The goal of the project is to establish a new biotechnological platform for the production of hydroxy-amino acids, since the current production of these important building blocks is very expensive. Enzyme engineering, systems biotechnology and metabolic engineering will be used in a synthetic biology approach.

LEADER: StU (prof. B. Klumperman)

PARTNERS: StU & SU

OBJECTIVES:

• Optimization of antimalarial drug encapsulation for fast release.

• Development of transmission blocking drug encapsulation for slow release.

DELIVERABLES:

**07.2022 D ...