Hello all,

Our talk next week will be by Professor Andrea J. Liu of the University of Pennsylvania on mathematical biology. Note that we will be in the CMS, with a start time of 6:45pm rather than the usual 7pm.

Title: Persistent homology for understanding protein allostery
Speaker: Andrea J. Liu
Abstract: We know from statistical physics that we need ensembles in order to extract microscopic understanding of collective phenomena. We have designed networks to have properties inspired by protein allostery and by “flow allostery” exhibited by the brain vasculature. By analyzing an ensemble of networks designed to have the similar response, we find that the response is of a topological nature and can be characterized using persistent homology. Our analysis is generalizable to real proteins and produces similar results, suggesting that the characterization of protein allostery can be reduced to the measure of the topological significance of two properties.
Date: Monday 6 November
Time: 6:45pm
Location: CMS MR2

As usual, port and orange juice will be served after the talk. We hope to see you there!