Bringing biological scales for precise modeling of tissue structure and underlying disease mechanisms

special seminar of the

Human Genetics and Computational Medicine Hub

By:

Mor Frank, PhD

Yale University

U.S.A

Title:

“Bringing biological scales for precise modeling of tissue structure and underlying disease mechanisms”

Abstract: Biological tissues are heterogeneous materials composed of multiple interacting components operating across molecular, cellular, and tissue scales. Crosstalk between these scales governs how local molecular events propagate upward to shape cell-state transitions, tissue organization, and ultimately organism-level function. Disruptions at any level - such as protein misfolding, aberrant signaling, or mechanical stress—can cascade across scales and reshape tissue mechanics and physiology. Understanding how microscopic processes drive macroscopic tissue behavior is essential for identifying therapeutic targets and for characterizing the dynamics of disease progression. In this talk, I will focus on the cardiovascular system and the brain, presenting computational frameworks that link molecular mechanisms, cell-state transitions, and tissue-level phenotypes to demonstrate how alterations at one scale propagate across others. In addition, because diseases progress dynamically over time, I will suggest a quantitative metric to identify optimal therapeutic windows throughout the disease course and demonstrate how microscopic disruptions can alter disease kinetics, thereby influencing these therapeutic windows. Finally, I will show how cutting-edge protein language models can interpret the genetic code, uncover the biological principles driving disease mechanisms, and guide rational drug design. By integrating these multiscale approaches, we can link molecular events to tissue-level outcomes, offering mechanistic insights and enabling the development of targeted therapies that operate across biological scales.

The Seminar will take place on

Sunday, December 14th, 2025 at 14:15

via Zoom:

https://tau-ac-il.zoom.us/j/89993257383