The New Mexico Center for the Spatiotemporal Modeling of Cell Signaling

The New Mexico Center for the Spatiotemporal Modeling of Cell Signaling (Spatiotemporal Modeling Center, STMC) is an interdisciplinary, inter-institutional program with two principal scientific goals: 1) to understand cell membrane spatial organization and dynamics; 2) to determine how the spatial proximity, dynamics, interactions and biochemical modifications of membrane receptors and signaling proteins together determine the outcome of complex, interacting cell signaling networks important in immune system diseases and cancer. STMC research emphasizes the development of new single cell and single molecule technologies to generate improved quantitative data for modeling and the creation of new computational and mathematical tools for image analysis, hypothesis generation and prediction. We support training and outreach programs intended to recruit and equip a new generation of interdisciplinary researchers for successful careers focused on quantitative, systems level analyses of complex biomedical processes. Our infrastructure is designed to sustain systems biology research and training as a long-term area of scientific emphasis at the University of New Mexico (UNM) and in the partnering Los Alamos and Sandia National Laboratories (LANL, SNL) and to lead the advancement of women and minorities within the discipline of systems biology.

The STMC is one of 12 National Centers for Systems Biology funded by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS). Information about the other NCSBs is at systemscenters.org. Information about Systems Biology Centers world-wide is at sysbionetwork.org and in the world map attached here (.jpg, from Cell, March 18, 2011). Additional support for STMC technology development is available through the New Mexico Cancer Nanoscience and Microsystems Training Center.