> ::
> :: Hi Whole Cell Biologists:
> ::
> :: Whole cell biology as opened by Marc Brande reminded me of the
> :: analysis of (social) behaviour of cells (in vitro) in terms of contact
> :: inhibition of locomotion as pioneered by late Michael Abercrombie and
> :: his colleagues. It is being moved by 4D and other sophisticated light
> :: microscopies suitable for studying cells in vitro and also in vivo (in
> :: situ) to much higher level but the framework which has been the
> :: complicated organization of biological matter at any level is still
> :: not easier to understand. What Michael had started was an operations
> :: research at cellular level in vitro. Behaviour of cells was registered
> :: by time-lapse phase contrast cinemicrography. The influence of mutual
> :: interactions between cells on their locomotory behaviour was evaluated
> :: phenomenologically and by measuring various parameters. His contact
> :: inhibition of locomotion had become vastly popular and entirely
> :: misunderstood. It has been used as a crutch for superficial evaluation
> :: of the images of cells in vitro provided by ordinary scopes ever
> :: since.
> :: The problem has been in multiplicity of parameters entering the scene.
> :: At the very beginning any experiment aimed at observing cell behaviour
> :: i.e. behaviour of whole living cell(s) was a piece of art which was
> :: either difficult or impossible to repeat. Therefore it was difficult
> :: to defend whole cell biology of living cell against productive logic
> :: of emerging molecular biology. Introduction of a computer control of
> :: the experiment and later of computerised image analysis (soon followed
> :: by new microscopies) was the only outcome from this deadlock.
> :: Simulation and modelling had been attempted fairly early with obvious
> :: limitations listed mainly by Rosemary White but in much stronger form.
> :: Confronted with the task of reviving "whole cell biology of living
> :: cell" at much higher level than it ever was, it is becoming clear that
> :: it is the language we use for communication about cellular events
> :: which is the main problem. Compared with molecular biology the
> :: language of cell biology is of lower grade. For any simulation and
> :: even description of experimental results this will matter. Improved
> :: language (and continuously improving) will have to be based on results
> :: of operations research again and the only backup for such an endeavour
> :: I can imagine is a very well maintained database. And this needs rules
> :: and agreements.
> ::
> :: Cheers, Pavel
 
   ------------------------------------------------
   Pavel Vesely MD PhD
   Institute of Molecular Genetics
   Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic
   Flemingovo nam. 2, 166 37 Prague 6 - Dejvice
   (tel: ++42-2-3312 288  fax: ++42-2-2431 0955)
   (e-mail: [log in to unmask])
   ------------------------------------------------