Why biology and medicine need mathematical modelling - a bioengineering perspective 
13 April 2011
6pm - reception. Lecture commences 7pm.
Venue: Room 401-439, Faculty of Engineering Building, 20 Symonds Street, City Campus, The University of Auckland
Host: Professor Andrew Philpott, a.philpott@auckland.ac.nz
Cost: Free admission and all are welcome. No booking required.
About the lecture
Fifty years of scientific reductionism have given us a wonderful understanding of the body's molecular components. How can mathematics help to put humpty-dumpty back together again?
Two major developments in current medicine are, on the one hand, the revolution in genomics and proteomics and, on the other, the revolution in medical imaging in which the physiological function of the human body can be studied with a plethora of imaging devices such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), and positron emission tomography (PET).
The challenge for bioengineers is to link these two developments for an individual - to use complementary genomic and medical imaging data, together with computational modelling tailored to the anatomy, physiology and genetics of that individual, for patient-specific diagnosis and treatment.
This goal can only be achieved with mathematical models that deal with the multiple physical processes operating in any tissue (mechanics, electrical activity, oxygen transport) and multiple spatial scales (from genes and proteins to the intact body).
About the speaker
Professor Peter Hunter is the Director of the Auckland Bioengineering Institute at The University of Auckland, Peter is also Chair of the New Zealand Marsden Fund, the Director of Computational Physiology at Oxford University, and co-Chair of the Physiome Committee of the International Union of Physiological Sciences.
The Les Woods Memorial Lecture Series
This lecture is part of a series jointly organised by the Institute of Information and Mathematical Sciences, Albany, Massey University, the Faculty of Engineering and Departments of Mathematics and Statistics of The University of Auckland.
Leslie Woods (1922-2007), in whose memory this series is dedicated, is one of New Zealand's most distinguished applied mathematicians. A graduate of The University of Auckland and of Oxford University, where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar, Les Woods is especially known for his work in plasma physics.
The inaugural Les Woods lecture was given in 2010 by Professor Gilbert Strang of Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
