title: Multiscale analysis of biological systems.
abstract: It is argued that multiscale approaches are necessary for an explanatory modeling of biological systems. A first step, besides common to the multiscale modeling of physical and living systems, is a bottom-up integration based on the notions of effective parameters and minimal models. Top-down effects can be accounted for in terms of effective constraints and inputs. Biological systems are essentially characterized by an entanglement of bottom-up and top-down influences following from their evolutionary history. A self-consistent multiscale scheme is proposed to capture the ensuing circular causality. Its differences with standard mean-field self-consistent equations and slow-fast decompositions are discussed. As such, this scheme offers a way to unravel the multilevel architecture of living systems and their regulation. Two examples, genome functions and biofilms, are detailed.
authors: CNRS UMR 7600, Université Pierre et Marie Curie-Paris 6, 4 place Jussieu, 75252 Paris Cedex 05, France. lesne@lptmc.jussieu.fr
authors: Annick
authors: A
authors: Lesne
mesh_terms: D018441:Biofilms; D016678:Genome; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D049490:Systems Biology