Possibilities for PhD students and postdoctoral fellows at LINK-Group

June 2011

We are seeking motivated PhD students and postdoctoral research fellows to join our multi-disciplinary LINK-Group to study molecular networks in human and model organisms. The candidates must be able to independently carry out and design computational analyses. A candidate must have a strong background in computer science or mathematics, physics, chemistry, engineering, biology or medicine, and extensive training in computational modeling or fluent in using network analysis algorithms. The network analytical work might be extended with molecular and cell biological experiments on C. elegans. Candidates – especially at the postdoctoral level – must have solid publications to support their experiences and trainings. Foreign citizens are equally welcome and if accepted, will be awarded special fellowships. The working language in the lab is English. Applicants should send their CV and a motivation letter describing their research interests to Prof. Peter Csermely.

At the closing conference of the PROTEOMAGE EU action, a LINK-poster received the conference award

June 2011

At the closing conference of the EU collaborative action PROTEOMAGE the poster of LINK-Group member Daniel Veres received the conference award.

The poster introduced a novel aging model comparing the currently used protein-protein interaction networks with those, where all protein pairs having no common cellular compartments are deleted. The novel integrative database on protein localization in S.cerevisiae, C.elegans, D.melanogaster and H. sapiens will be available here soon: http://www.linkgroup.hu/ComPPI.php.

More than 50,000 visitors at the LINK-Group homepage

February 2011

We are happy to note that our home-page had more than 50,000 visitors so far. Besides a detailed account on our research, and teaching materials, we recently added a lot more interesting links to the web-site. We continue this program and will expand the number of useful, network-related links further in the near future from here.

The updated, paperback version of the Weak Links book has been released

May 2009

The updated, paperback version of the successful 2006 book on Weak Links, i.e. low affinity, low intensity network contacts has been released in May 30th 2009 and can be ordered here. The book summarizes the stabilizing role of weak links in ALL complex systems, and offers novel chapters on network modules and on the creative elements of networks. The extensive coverage, the easy language and the 832 original references make this book a very good companion to anyone interested in networks between age 14 (or before) and 114 (or later).

The recent Link-Group paper showing that aging is a price of cooperation and complexity became a highlight of BioEssays

Apr 2009

The LINK-Group paper showing that aging can be perceived as a price of cooperation and the development of complexity of the self-organizing matter became a highlight of the June issue of BioEssays. The paper shows that the emergence of hierarchical complexity needs cooperation. This leads to the ageing (i.e. gradual deterioration) of the constituent networks. A stable environment develops cooperation leading to over-optimization, and forming an ‘always-old’ network, which accumulates damage, and dies in an apoptosis-like process. A rapidly changing environment develops competition forming a 'forever-young' network, which may suffer an occasional over-perturbation exhausting system-resources, and causing death in a necrosis-like process. The paper summarizes how various forms of cooperation and consequent ageing emerge as key elements in all major steps of evolution from the formation of protocells to the establishment of the globalized, modern human society.

A novel paper of LINK-Group member Paolo Tieri on the complexity of the immune system

September 2010

LINK-Group member, Paolo Thieri has published a novel paper in Theoretical Biology and Medical Modelling entitled "Network, degeneracy and bow tie. Integrating paradigms and architectures to grasp the complexity of the immune system" which can be downloaded from here.

A new set of links has been added to our link-compendium

August 2010

Our suggestion of interesting links has been expanded by aging databases, links on complex system evolution, on network analysis, on network datasets, on network visualization and on several important mathematical tools. Our link-compendium is open for further amendments. If you want to suggest us your interesting, network-related link to include, please write us to info@linkgroup.hu or send a note here.

The SignaLink database received the best poster award of the 2009 FEBS SysBio Conference

March 2009

Tamás Korcsmáros and co-authors presented the SignaLink signaling and protein-protein interaction database at the FEBS SysBio Conference (7-13 March 2009, Alpbach, Austria) and received the best poster award of the meeting. The database and results will be available soon here.

The ModuLand modularization program received a silver medal on a Hungarian National Competition

Feb 2009

Máté Szalay, Robin Palotai and István Kovács received a silver medal on the Hungarian National Science Competition of Undergraduate Students for the ModuLand method determining the overlapping modules of complex networks. A preliminary version of the method can be found here as a patent application. The full description of the method, results and all algorithms, programs and source codes will be available soon here.

The Journal of Biology LINK-Group paper on network-based drug-target prediction became a "highly accessed" paper

Aug 2008

The LINK-Group paper summarizing a number of recent drug-target network papers in leading journals and suggesting novel methods for the network-based prediction of novel drug targets as well as a better network-based assessment of drug candidate efficiency and side effects became a "Highly accessed" paper of the Journal of Biology, the premier biology journal of BioMed Central. An extended version of the paper containing a more detailed description of network-based methods to assess drug-effects on cellular robustness can be found here