(533a) Invited Talk: Predicting Microbial Metabolic Functionality with Computational Models

There is an explosion of data characterizing the genotype-phenotype relationship of microbes under diverse conditions. Computer models have become indispensable tools to integrate such data and facilitate the generation and testing of hypotheses. We will discuss recent methods to construct and test computer models of microbial metabolism with direct relevance to human health. These models are being used to identify novel drug targets, characterize the evolution of antibiotic resistance, and design new therapeutic strategies.