Scientists Develop SMART Software for Cellular Communication
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), have unveiled a groundbreaking software tool named SMART (Spatial Modeling Algorithms for Reactions and Transport) designed to simulate complex cell-signaling networks, SciTech Daily reported yesterday.
This innovative software enhances the understanding of how cells respond to environmental signals, addressing the challenges posed by the intricate molecular interactions within three-dimensional cellular structures.
SMART has been successfully tested across various biological systems, including cell responses to adhesive signals, calcium release in neurons and heart muscle cells, and ATP production in mitochondria. Its flexible and efficient simulation capabilities promise to advance research in pharmacology, systems biology, and biomedical engineering.
The study, published on December 19, in Nature Computational Science, was led by Emmet Francis, Ph.D., under the supervision of Professor Padmini Rangamani. The initial version of SMART was developed by former graduate student Justin Laughlin. This tool is expected to facilitate the development of new treatments for human diseases.