workshop designed with the help of: Christine Risso-de Faverney, Jean-Paul Comet, Janine Guespin, Houssine Snoussi and Adrien Richard

  Abstract

This workshop intends to offer a discovery of the framework proposed by René Thomas in the 70's for gene network models. We explain the main lines of this framework which allows one to consider discrete models (gene expression levels are abstracted by a finite set of values). The approach is incredibly powerful in order to perform predictions. The participants will develop by themselves, step by step, a small example that shows how a very small set of biologically observed properties can lead to impressive predictions. Lastly, we sketch out how modern computer science handles these predictions automatically, allowing to treat bigger examples.