Structured modelling of animal cells

Recent advances in computer technology have promoted the design and use of detailed, computer-based models for biological systems. For many non- biological systems, the complexity of such simulations may be considered inappropriate and unwieldy, but in biological systems, and more specifically in animal cell culture, this level of complexity simply mimics what is only beginning to be understood about metabolic process. With this in mind, we contend that complex, structured models are vital tools in the investigation of fundamental biological processes. An example of such a simulation, which describes the commercial production of therapeutic proteins by animal cell cultures, is considered.