Uncertainty Analysis in Systems Biology

We have already discussed the fact that significant uncertainties can exist in the parameterisation of gas kinetic models and in theoretical calculations of rate coefficients of relevance to gas-phase chemistry. In many applications within gas-phase chemistry, however, the basic structure of the model is reasonably well known or can be suggested using mechanism constructirui protocols such as those 

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Exact analysis of sialic acid is required in biologieal experiments where the biological role of sialic acid is frequently studied with the aid of sialidases, and the amount of sialic acids released is determined. This is also important for periodate oxidation studies on biological systems, where modification of sialic acids by periodate is only assumed, but chemical analysis of this effect by isolation and analysis of the modified sialic acids is seldom performed. These uncertainties in determinations of sialic acid can be overcome by the purification procedures already described. Furthermore, it must be stressed that unequivocal determination of the structure of a sialic acid, especially... 

Despite these uncertainties several laboratories have now started to chemically synthesize lipid A substructures and analogues (32). These preparations are presently being compared with (nativeT free lipid A by physicochemical methods of analysis, and are being tested in a variety of biological systems (33). It is obvious that these synthetic samples will be of great significance in the verification of the structural proposals made for lipid A. 

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