Abstract
In this chapter we introduce the reader to current methods for generating biological data, including such topics as micro-array (or gene expression) studies, ChIP-seq studies, siRNAs, and micro-RNAs. Special features of biological data that necessitate the development of new algorithms are highlighted, such as the lack of standardization in experimental procedures that lead in turn to broad variability of the data sets.
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Notes
- 1.
For a very readable and yet scientifically accurate description of how theories about the onset and treatment of cancer have evolved over the past hundred years or so, see [3].
- 2.
The phrase ‘base pair’ refers to the fact that DNA consists of two strands running in opposite directions, and that the two strands have ‘reverse complementarity’—\(A\) occurs opposite \(T\) and \(C\) occurs opposite \(G\).
- 3.
The reader is referred to any standard text on cell biology to gain an understanding of the various terms used here.
- 4.
Plot generated by my student Burook Misganaw.
- 5.
One could paraphrase the opening sentence of Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina and say that ‘Normal cells are all alike; every malignant cell is malignant in its own way’.
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Vidyasagar, M. (2012). The Role of System Theory in Biology. In: Computational Cancer Biology. SpringerBriefs in Electrical and Computer Engineering(). Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-4751-0_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-4751-0_1
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