Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41370633›Full record

ReviewBriefings in bioinformatics2025

Beyond metaphor: quantitative reconstruction of Waddington landscape and exploration of cellular behavior.

Yourui Han, Bolin Chen, Jinlei Zhang, Xuequn Shang

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Briefings in bioinformatics, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Yourui HanSchool of Computer Science, Northwestern Polytechnical University, 1 Dongxiang Road, Chang'an District, Xi'an 710072, China.
Bolin ChenSchool of Computer Science, Northwestern Polytechnical University, 1 Dongxiang Road, Chang'an District, Xi'an 710072, China.
Jinlei ZhangSchool of Computer Science, Northwestern Polytechnical University, 1 Dongxiang Road, Chang'an District, Xi'an 710072, China.
Xuequn ShangSchool of Computer Science, Northwestern Polytechnical University, 1 Dongxiang Road, Chang'an District, Xi'an 710072, China.

Funding

National Key Research and Development Program of China 2021YFA1000402National Natural Science Foundation of China 62433016
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Originally proposed as a conceptual metaphor, the Waddington landscape was used to illustrate the directional nature of embryonic development and the relative stability of distinct developmental states. While the Waddington landscape offers a valuable conceptual framework for understanding cellular dynamics, its quantitative reconstruction remains a significant challenge in systems biology and biophysics. Recent methodological advances in single-cell omics technologies, computational modeling approaches, and nonlinear dynamical systems theory have facilitated progress toward quantitative reconstruction of the Waddington landscape, thereby transforming this heuristic metaphor into a predictive theoretical framework. In this review, we summarize the theoretical foundations of the Waddington landscape, categorize current computational and mathematical approaches for the Waddington landscape reconstruction. Meanwhile, we highlight the potential applications and inherent limitations of these approaches in characterizing cellular behaviors, predicting cell fate decisions, and modulating developmental trajectories.

Indexed as

Models, BiologicalSystems BiologyAnimalsComputational BiologyHumanscellular behaviorcomputational and mathematical approachesWaddington landscape

Identifiers

PMID41370633
PMCPMC12694459

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.