I am a theoretician studying biological systems: I have worked on DNA spectrum, ion channel functioning, nonlinear dynamics and noise effects in biological systems, and, recent years, on blood coagulation [1-5], membrane fusion [6], membrane rafts [7, 8] and cell motility [9].

Currently I am interested in biological processes that occur at the cellular (and higher) level. These processes involve large number of interacting elements and are highly nonlinear and generally involve multiple time and spatial scales. Along with data quantification and application of traditional mathematical methods such as chemical kinetics and mechanical dynamics, we work on a graphical systems biology approach, the causal mapping (CMAP), to analyze biological systems. CMAP is a course-grained biological network tool that permits description of causal interactions between the elements of the network and overall system dynamics. On one hand, the CMAP is an intermediate between experiments and physical modeling, describing major requisite elements, their interactions and paths of causality propagation that is intuitive and easy-to-use. On the other hand, the CMAP is an independent tool to explore the hierarchical organization of cell and the role of uncertainties in the system.

For more information please visit my web-site: http://www.unc.edu/~weinreb.

1. Majumder, R., G. Weinreb and B.R. Lentz, Efficient Thrombin Generation Requires Molecular Phosphatidylserine, Not a Membrane Surface. Biochemistry, 2005. 44(51): p. 16998-17006.

2. Weinreb, G., K. Mukhopadhyay, R. Majumder and B.R. Lentz, Va and PS-containing Membranes Collaborate in Enhancing the Rate, Channeling the Intermediates, and Determining the Pathway of Prothrombin Activation. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 2003. 278(8): p. 5679-5684.

3. Banerjee, M., R. Majumder, G. E.Weinreb, J. Wang and B.R. Lentz, Role of Procoagulant Membranes in Human Prothrombin Activation. 2:. Soluble Phosphatidylserine up-regulates and directs factor Xa to appropriate peptide bonds in prothrombin. Biochemistry, 2002. 41(3): p. 950-957.

4. Majumder, R., G. Weinreb, X. Zhai and B.R.Lentz, Soluble Phosphatidylserine Triggers Assembly in Solution of a Prothrombin-Activating Complex in the Absence of a Membrane Surface. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 2002. 277(33): p. 29765-29773.

5. Wu, J.R., C. Zhou, D.D. Powers, R. Majumder, G. E.Weinreb and B.R. Lentz, Role of Procoagulant Membranes in Human Prothrombin Activation. 1: Prothrombin Activation by Factor Xa in the Absence of Factor Va and in the Absence and Presence Membranes. Biochemistry, 2002. 41(3): p. 935-949.

6. Weinreb, G.E. and B.R. Lentz, Modeling Kinetics of PEG-Mediated Membrane Fusion. Biophysical Journal, 2006. Submitted.

7. Lagerholm, B.C., G.E. Weinreb, K. Jacobson and N.L. Thompson., Spatial Mapping of Quantum Dots in Submicroscopic Clusters by Blinking. Biophysical Journal, 2006. Submitted.

8. Lagerholm, B.C., G.E. Weinreb, K. Jacobson and N.L. Thompson, Detecting Microdomains in Intact Cell Membranes. Annual Review in Physical Chemistry, 2005. 56: p. 309-336.

9. Weinreb, G.E., T.C. Elston and K. Jacobson, The Causal Map as a Tool to Mechanistically Interpret Phenomena in Cell Motility: Application to Cortical Oscillations in Spreading Cells. Cell Motility and Cytosceleton, 2006. in Press.