Driving biological insight from genome-scale and multiscale to whole-cell modeling

Mathematical modeling is a powerful tool for gaining insights into diverse cellular processes and for guiding rational design of biological systems. A growing trend from genome-scale and multi-scale to whole-cell models has emerged, and these large-scale models serve as valuable knowledge platforms for the reconstruction of cellular systems across diverse biological scales, ultimately enabling comprehensive understanding of cellular systems. Here, we briefly summarize the primary principles of these models and highlight how they drive biological insights. Additionally, we discuss the respective advantages of them and outline potential opportunities represented by data and algorithms for advancing this paradigm.