Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Dr. Magnus Fontes, Institut Roche and Lund University, will deliver the 2026 I. E. Block Community Lecture. He will be presenting on July 8 during the 2026 SIAM Annual Meeting (AN26), happening July 6-10, 2026, in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. His talk is titled "Modeling for Life with a Little Help from Our Friends." Learn more about 2026 SIAM Annual Meeting: siam.org/an26.
More About the 2026 SIAM Block Lecture
Modeling human biology is complex. We are composed of around 3×1013 human cells and similar numbers of bacterial cells and viral particles that all interact and form hierarchies of functional structures. Cells form tissues, that form organs, that organize into organ complexes, that make up individuals, that make up populations. Different biological entities share similarities, but some features are species specific or even specific for an individual. In biomedical research and drug discovery different model systems are used to try to understand human biology, traditionally human cell lines and animal models. But a cell line is a simplified model and for example a mouse model, although sharing some biological features of a human model, have properties that are specific to mice.
Over the last years new models have taken stage, like complex human ex-vivo systems, sometimes patient-derived; in silico mathematical models; and a growing pool of high resolution multimodal human data from real life settings. Integrative and holistic analyses, using all available models, hold the potential to transform biomedicine, drug discovery and ultimately health care. During this talk, attendees will learn how mathematical and computational modeling, leveraging the Human-Machine Partnership for multidisciplinary and collaborative data exploration, will propel the transformation and will give us a new understanding of Life.
Dr. Magnus Fontes, Institut Roche and Lund University, will deliver the 2026 I. E. Block Community Lecture. He will be presenting on July 8 during the 2026 SIAM Annual Meeting (AN26), happening July 6-10, 2026, in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. His talk is titled "Modeling for Life with a Little Help from Our Friends." Learn more about 2026 SIAM Annual Meeting: siam.org/an26.
More About the 2026 SIAM Block Lecture
Modeling human biology is complex. We are composed of around 3×1013 human cells and similar numbers of bacterial cells and viral particles that all interact and form hierarchies of functional structures. Cells form tissues, that form organs, that organize into organ complexes, that make up individuals, that make up populations. Different biological entities share similarities, but some features are species specific or even specific for an individual. In biomedical research and drug discovery different model systems are used to try to understand human biology, traditionally human cell lines and animal models. But a cell line is a simplified model and for example a mouse model, although sharing some biological features of a human model, have properties that are specific to mice.
Over the last years new models have taken stage, like complex human ex-vivo systems, sometimes patient-derived; in silico mathematical models; and a growing pool of high resolution multimodal human data from real life settings. Integrative and holistic analyses, using all available models, hold the potential to transform biomedicine, drug discovery and ultimately health care. During this talk, attendees will learn how mathematical and computational modeling, leveraging the Human-Machine Partnership for multidisciplinary and collaborative data exploration, will propel the transformation and will give us a new understanding of Life.
