BOSTON, Mass. – September 23, 2009 – Plectix BioSystems, Inc. announced the winners of CelluciFest, Cellucidate’s first modeling competition. CelluciFest was open to all biological modelers who created an original model that explored an aspect of cell signaling using Cellucidate’s cBook format. Winners were judged in three categories – Research, Innovation and Educational.

Elaine Murphy was chosen as the winner of the Research category for her model of peroxisome biogenesis and maturation. This model demonstrates the use of a rules-based modeling framework for exploring hypotheses about biological systems whose complexity makes them impossibly challenging for approaches based on intuition or guesswork.

In the Innovation category Clemens Kuehn was recognized as the winner for his model of the Hog1 cascade response to hyperosmotic shock in yeast. His cBook is an example of how using rules-based modeling to study complex biological systems can free the researcher from the limitations that combinatorial complexity imposes upon traditional modeling approaches, allowing a model to be created without limiting its scope and/or resolution through the use of simplifying assumptions.

Tseren Ishdorj won the Educational category for his multisite reversible covalent modification model that illustrates the ability of model in Cellucidate to provide a detailed, revealing and educational perspective on the mechanisms of cell signaling in a way that would be difficult to convey in words or static diagrams.

The winning models are showcased in Cellucidate and can be viewed at www.cellucidate.com/cellucifest. New Cellucidate users will need to register, which can be done at the same link.

About Plectix BioSystems, Inc.
Plectix brings clarity to the mysteries of cell signaling through the application of advanced computational techniques. These approaches enable biologists to develop an enhanced understanding of signaling processes and to design interventions based on molecular mechanisms. In addition to making its technology available through initiatives such as Cellucidate, Plectix conducts its own research and partners with select research institutions and leading pharmaceutical and diagnostic companies. For more information, visit www.plectix.com.

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Contact:
Plectix BioSystems, Inc.
1.877.PLECTIX
info@plectix.com