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Center for Systems and Computational Biology

Applying Advanced Computational and Technological Systems to the Understanding of Human Disease

The Center supports the development of new tools for analyzing and integrating data from a wide variety of -omics sources — including genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, molecular modeling, high-throughput screening, chemical biology, structural biology, and imaging — all of which involve large high-throughput complex datasets that can challenge limits of available software tools and require high capacity as well as reliable data storage and management.

As part of its mission to support biomedical research at The Wistar Institute, the CSCB provides comprehensive expertise to assist with every aspect of scientific computing and data analysis. The CSCB offers consultations and can help with planning, troubleshooting and answering any computational biology-related questions, including services offered through the Bioinformatics Facility.

Members of the CSCB also collaborate on a wide variety of projects related to detecting, understanding and treating cancer, other diseases and clinical disorders, as well as projects on infectious disease and the development of new and more effective vaccines.

Under its umbrella, the CSCB houses the Computational Biology Interest Group (CBIG), an institute-wide network serving to promote interaction of Wistar scientists with any degree of involvement in computational biology, with core expertise represented by the computational labs and Bioinformatics Facility of The Wistar Institute.

Bioinformatics
Systems Biology

Systems biology is an approach to biomedical research in which scientists combine complex “omics” datasets to develop a more complete understanding of complex biological systems, such as the regulation of whole genome-level transcription, regulation of the 3D genome, the role of signaling and metabolic pathways in disease, and more. Systems biology uses a variety of omics tools including genomics, bioinformatics, metabolomics and proteomics to understand biology at a high level of complexity, such as how mutation or loss of a single gene affects cells, tissues and even the entire organism.

Computational Biology

Computational biology is a critical component of systems biology, and in many areas new and improved algorithms are being developed or optimized. These efforts involve the use of computer science, mathematics, and statistics to process and interpret large complex data sets. It provides scientists with the tools to deconstruct these data sets and provide a better understanding of the complexity of normal biological processes and how disruption of those processes leads to a wide range of diseases.


Leadership and Members

Leadership

Bin Tian, Ph.D.

  • Professor and Co-leader, Genome Regulation and Cell Signaling Program
  • Director, The Wistar Institute Center for Systems and Computational Biology
  • Specialization: RNA-level Transcription, 3’UTR, and Polyadenylation
  • btian@wistar.org

Members

Noam Auslander, Ph.D.

  • Assistant Professor, Molecular and Cellular Oncogenesis Program
  • Specialization: Machine Learning
  • nauslander@wistar.org

Andrew Kossenkov, Ph.D.

  • Assistant Professor, Genome Regulation and Cell Signaling Program
  • Specialization: Data Analysis, Visualization, and Integration
  • akossenkov@wistar.org

Qin Liu, M.D., Ph.D.

  • Professor, Molecular and Cellular Oncogenesis Program
  • Specialization: Biostatistics
  • qliu@wistar.org 

Jozef Madzo, Ph.D.

  • Assistant Professor, Genome Regulation and Cell Signaling Program
  • Specialization: Bioinformatics
  • jmadzo@wistar.org

Avi Srivastava, Ph.D.

  • Assistant Professor, Genome Regulation and Cell Signaling Program
  • Specialization: Single-Cell RNA Seq
  • asrivastava@wistar.org

Contact Us

For more information, please contact:

The Wistar Institute Center for Systems and Computational Biology

3601 Spruce Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
cscb@wistar.org