The first part of this work reviews the algebraic matricial approach to transport data inversion. It works for the convection-diffusion transport equation used for periodic signals and provides a formally exact solution, as well as a quantitative assessment of error bars. The standard methods of reconstruction infer the diffusivity D and pinch V by matching experimental data against those simulated by transport codes. These methods do not warrant the validity of either the underlying models of transport, or of the reconstructed D(r) and V(r), even when the results look reasonable.

One of the most formidable challenges in modern biology is to get a unified view of the various mechanisms governing the behavior and of the causal relationships among different parts of a living system. It is coming clearer nowadays that to get such comprehensive picture computational models embracing different observation levels in space and time have to be formulated to explain the enormous amount of data deriving from -omic high throughput measurements methods.