As seen in the Washington Square News.
A pair of NYU researchers have developed a model to chart and explain the biological clock that exists in every cell of the human body.
Daniel Forger, an NYU mathematician and biologist, and Charles Peskin, a professor at NYU’s Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences and Center for Neural Science, have developed a mathematical model that explains circadian rhythm, the remarkably prcecise 24-hour biological clock found in cells in the body.
If this precision is affected, it may have drastic consequences, Forger said. Jet lag, the habitual urge to sleep at certain times and drug symptoms are all directly affected by the circadian clock’s timekeeping.
Mutations or pharmaceutical drugs could affect the circadian clock, changing its rhythm, he said.
“The circadian clock has also been linked to Alzheimer’s and cancer,” Forger said. “This model can begin to answer some of these questions.”
The scientists aim to trump previous models in terms of accuracy, tracking and recording large amounts of molecular data that would otherwise be too much for researchers, Forger said.
“It’s hard to keep track of the numbers of molecules in a cell over time,” he said. “That’s what makes this model so great. We can manipulate numbers of molecules.”
But problems can arise with these rhythms.
“Clocks wind down over time,” Forger said. “That basically happens in cells, too – the clock within.”
NYU Assistant Professor of Biology and Neural Science Justin Blau has researched circadian rhythms and recognizes the far-reaching effects of the new model.
“As for human implications, it would be interesting to use the model to see how the clock can be reset by light most efficiently – which could help travelers adapt to a new time zone as quickly as possible,” Blau said.
The researchers validated their results with experimental data regarding concentrations of protein molecules within the cells of mice.
“What is great about this model is that it makes clear predictions that can be tested experimentally,” Blau said. “So this could be a new dawn for math-biology, where work in math leads to experiments in biology.”
Forger agreed that the research has great potential for the math and science world.
“It’s a first step,” Forger said.