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Systems Biology at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Unlocking the Secrets of the Secretome

The secretome—defined as the family of proteins secreted by cells—of human mammary epithelial cells (HMEC) was identified by researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL), a national scientific user facility located at PNNL. Opening new doors for the study of this poorly characterized subset of the proteome, the researchers’ method is applicable to other cell lines. Because the secretome is important for tissue function and homeostasis as well as cell communication, proliferation, and organization, studying these proteins may lead to therapeutic applications and biomarker discovery.  
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Systems biology researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) focus on understanding gene and protein networks involved in individual cell signaling, communication between cells in communities, and cellular metabolic pathways. Our systems biology research program is primarily driven by the Biomolecular Sciences Initiative, a Laboratory R&D program.

Talented Multidisciplinary Teams

The integrated talents of our multidisciplinary research teams lend strength to our systems biology research. Our biologists, microscopy experts, and proteomicists study the thousands of proteins and/or other cellular components, which are regulated through variations in their location, their activity, and their state of modification. Our bioinformaticists and computational biologists are (1) working with bench scientists to integrate high-throughput instruments into a computational infrastructure; (2) creating models of cellular networks appropriate for inferring the structure and function of cellular networks from large volumes high-throughput, heterogeneous data; and (3) developing software to aid visualization and interpretation of this flood of data. The methods we are developing to integrate and interpret high-throughput, quantitative data will serve as a foundation for creating predictive models of cellular responses and functions.

A Strong Technical Infrastructure

PNNL's unique set of advanced instrumentation and technologies provide a strong technical infrastructure for our systems biology research. We combine world-class, high-throughput proteomic tools; advanced sensors; precise analytical methods; enhanced imaging capabilities; and sophisticated computational tools to characterize and model cells responding to environmental changes, interrogating their surroundings, and communicating with other organisms in communities.

Applying Systems Biology to Problems of National Interest

We apply our systems biology methods to and enhance our systems biology capabilities through a variety of research areas, including cellular responses to oxidative stress and radiation, interrogative cell signaling, network biology, cellular responses to environmental stress, biomarkers that indicate environmental contaminants and disease, biofilms, and microbial communities. Through our research, we address problems important to the U.S. Department of Energy and the nation, including clean energy production, carbon sequestration, environmental cleanup, improved disease diagnosis and treatment, and protecting people from environmental hazards.