Tel Aviv University


Tel Aviv University
Condensed Matter Theory Seminar

Academic Year  2003 - 2004


The seminar is held in Room 204 in the Shenkar Physics Building, every Monday at 16:00

 

January 5, 2004

"Semiconservative Replication in the Quasispecies Model"

Dr. Emmanuel Tannenbaum
Dept. of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University


     In 1971, Manfred Eigen introduced the quasispecies equations as a way to model the evolution of single-stranded RNA molecules. In this talk, we present an extension of the quasispecies model to account for the semiconservative nature of DNA replication, whereby each strand serves as the template for the synthesis of its complementary daughter strand. This is a necessary first step toward making the quasispecies model a quantitative tool for analyzing the evolutionary dynamics of unicellular organisms. From the semiconservative quasispecies equations we are able to show that, at sufficiently high error rates, faster replicating cells die more quickly than slower replicating cells. Thus, our model provides a mathematical basis for the efficacy of chemotherapeutic agents in treating cancers. 

Host: Dr. Ron Lifshitz, x5145
 
Fall 2003 Schedule Spring 2004 Schedule

For more information or for directions to 204 Shenkar please contact: Chava Belson  03-6408300

To suggest potential speakers or register feedback contact:  Ron Lifshitz  03-6405145


Sponsored by:   The Condensed Matter Physics Department, The School of Physics & Astronomy, Tel Aviv University.