CONTROL IN BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS

Course objectives

General goals The course provides the knowledge and skills to describe biological systems and feedback phenomena by mathematical modeling. Specific outcomes Knowledge and understanding The Students must be able to analyze, with the instruments of automatic control theory, a biological system and interpret physiological phenomena Capability to apply knowledge and understanding The Students will be able to understand and to analyze a biological system and its relevant properties Critical and judgment skill The Students will be able to analyze a biological system, identifying the main variables of interest, proposing the most suitable control strategy Communication skills The course activities will allow the Students to increase their communication capabilities in scientific fields. Learning ability One of the aim of the course is to increase the critical skills of the Students; he will be able to tackle a biological/physiological control problem, starting to the literature analysis, to the modeling aspects, to the control face, up to the implementation.

Channel 1
DANIELA IACOVIELLO Lecturers' profile

Program - Frequency - Exams

Course program
Introduction and aim of the course. A review of the basic concepts of automatic control. Examples of physiological regulation. Positive and negative feedback. Identification of physiological control systems. ARX and ARMAX models. Non linear control for physiological systems Optimal control. Complex systems. Some models are analysed applying the studied methodologies, for example: Pupillary reflex model. Regulation of glucose. . Bone remodelling. Epidemic control model. Regulation of cardiac output. Application of computational software tools such as MATLAB.
Prerequisites
Automatic Control (basic course)
Books
All the suggested references are in Sapienza libraries, or available on the web Michael C.K.Khoo, Physiological Control Systems, IEEE Press C.Cobelli, E.Carson, Introduction to modelling in physiology and medicine, Elsevier P.A.Iglesias, Control Theory and Systems Biology, MIT Press C.Cosentino, D.Bates, Feedback Control in Systems Biology, CRC Press C.Cobelli, E.Carson, Modeling Methodology for Physiology and Medicine, Elsevier V.Comincioli, Metodi numerici e statistici per le scienze applicate, Università degli Studi di Pavia V.Comincioli, Modelli matematici, Università degli studi di Pavia. Material provided by the Professor: The Professor provides all the course slides in advance and suggests articles to deepen the topics
Teaching mode
Teaching in classroom
Frequency
Attendance of lessons not necessary but recommended
Exam mode
The evaluation is based on two parts: - Project: the Student must prepare a project, preferably, with one ore two colleagues on a topic established with the Professor, prepare a report and discuss it with a presentation. The report must be organized as follows: - Background - Material and methods - Numerical Results - References The evaluation of the project is based on: scientific rigor, clarity of presentation, and communication skills. The project, although preferably carried out in a group, may result in different evaluations of the group members due to the varying levels of depth and presentation skills. - Oral exam: Oral exam on the topics of the course The final grade is the weighted average of the two tests in which, as a guideline, the project contributes for 40% of the final grade and the oral exam for the remaining 60%.
Lesson mode
Teaching in classroom
  • Lesson code1044320
  • Academic year2025/2026
  • CourseBiomedical Engineering
  • CurriculumMedicina computazionale
  • Year1st year
  • Semester2nd semester
  • SSDING-INF/04
  • CFU6