University of Chicago

One of the grand-challenge questions in the physical and biological sciences is how molecular interactions can enable processing of complex information. The answer requires transcending the advances of the genomics and proteomics revolutions to probe and analyze the function of networks of regulatory interactions in cells directly. While there are various means for detecting the presence of molecules, even in spatially and temporally resolved fashions, there is no reliable, standard way to elucidate the collective molecular dynamics that lead to function. We propose to develop the prototype of just such a robust and systematic method – a “chemical perturbation spectroscopy” – that we envision would become a widely used tool for revealing the underlying design and control structures of molecular networks. If successful, the research would be transformative, introducing a totally new approach for probing regulatory interactions systematically, elucidating design principles for cells, developing a theory for driven complex systems, and even enabling the control of cellular dynamics for a broad range of purposes.