Intellectual merit: Within the field of computational neuroscience, researchers like Fleischer and Barr, Dellaert and Beer, Nolfi and Parisi and Eggenberger et. Al have build models of brain development and learning which account for axonal growth and genetic regulation to some degree. This PI will attempt to build a more integrated model, by combining insights from that class of model with insights from the area of quantitative systems biotechnology, in order to model the entire process of development from an initial stem cell to an intelligent brain.
Broader benefits: From the viewpoint of basic science, the ultimate goals of this project will require many years to fully attain. However, some of the key initial steps in modeling may lead to insights of nearer-term practical value. For example, the initial work includes an integrated modeling of the phenomenon, effects and natural mechanisms involved in the death of cells - an issue of some importance to efforts to understand and deal with conditions like, cancer, HIV and aging.
