MRC National Institute for Medical Research, London

Science for Health

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Research areas

Genetics and Development

Infections and Immunity

Neurosciences

Structural Biology

Richard Goldstein group

Modelling of evolution

All life is the result of evolution. In order to understand life, we need to investigate the evolutionary process that determines its form and function. Because living things encode this evolutionary heritage, studies of their properties can provide insights into the evolutionary process. Following the evolutionary path of specific components can provide important information about the characteristics of living organisms. Combining insights from physical chemistry, condensed matter physics, artificial intelligence, complexity theory, and mathematical biology, we are developing computational and theoretical methods to explore these areas.

We are investigating the evolution of viruses such as influenza in order to better understand the way they act now and how they might change in the future. In particular, we have been investigating how influenza is able to shift from one host to another, as it did with such deadly consequences in 1918 and as it is doing now. We are modelling the evolution of chemotaxis, the process that allows bacteria to find nutrients. Insights into the evolutionary history of the chemotaxis control network can give us insight into how its form reflects the constraints of their environment. We also are modelling the evolution of our ability to understand language, to put constraints on the way in which the brain is able to perform this task.

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Phylogenetic tree of influenza, showing the division into the human, 'classical' swine, and bird lineages. Hosts are colour-coded, red for human, blue for swine, black for avian. Notice the few cases of human influenza in the middle of the bird lineage, representing H5N1 'Bird-flu'.

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Evolution of chemotaxis in virtual bacteria inhabiting a virtual world. Bacteria quickly develop a biochemical network allowing them to explore the space and exploit the found food. Inserts show the time-averaged distribution of the bacteria. At each generation, the bacteria start at a location towards the bottom-left of the space. The food is in a Gaussian distribution at the centre of the space.

Selected publications

dos Reis, M; Hay, AJ and Goldstein, RA (2009)
Using non-homogeneous models of nucleotide substitution to identify host shift events: application to the origin of the 1918 'Spanish' influenza pandemic virus.
Journal of Molecular Evolution 69, 333-345 PubMed abstract
Tamuri, AU; dos Reis, M; Hay, AJ and Goldstein, RA (2009)
Identifying changes in selective constraints: host shifts in influenza.
PLoS Computational Biology 5, e1000564 PubMed abstract
Goldstein, RA and Soyer, OS (2008)
Evolution of taxis responses in virtual bacteria: non-adaptive dynamics.
PLoS Computational Biology 4, e1000084 PubMed abstract