Using a $14 million DARPA grant, a team of biologists and mathematicians at Duke and other universities will be looking more closely at circadian rhythms.

Some of the world’s leading experts on the cell cycle, the circadian clock, the metabolism of yeast, root growth in plants, and pulsing processes in bacteria want to deconstruct the molecular and genetic rhythms that keep these organisms alive, and whether there are universal rules controlling such cyclic behavior.

The role of genes

One of the most challenging goals is to identify the specific genes that turn each type of biological clock on and off and what signals those genes send with each on-off switch, says says Duke mathematician John Harer, the lead investigator on the new grant.

The other challenge is to identify what role each gene plays in the clock and whether it would be a good indicator of the position of that clock in its cycle. They might, for example, find a gene that controls the circadian clock, and then study it further to find out whether it’s six in the morning or six at night, according to that organism’s clock.

If scientists can isolate the genes, molecules and signals of these different biological clocks, they could find ways to control and repair them if they are broken or damaged, Harer says. They could then use that information to better understand and control specific groups of cells, organisms and possibly even systems within our bodies, or explain a variety of other observations, such as the connection between sleep problems and cancer.

One specific DARPA application would be to adjust soldiers’ biological clocks when they travel, to speed recovery from jetlag or slow down their metabolism after an injury.

There’s also interest in the signals that genes and cells send to each other, despite a lot of noise from their surroundings. If scientists can figure out how timing signals are sent, that could be useful for improving the way we send, receive and decipher our own communication signals, Harer says.