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  • Tutorial
  • Open Access

Hands-On Growth Laws Theory Cookbook

Rossana Droghetti1,*, Mattia Corigliano1, Ludovico Calabrese2, Philippe Fuchs3,4, Abhishek Vaidyanathan5,6, Johannes Keisers3, Gabriele Micali6,†,‡, Marco Cosentino Lagomarsino1,4,7,†,§, and Luca Ciandrini3,8,†,∥

  • *Contact author: rossana.droghetti@ifom.eu
  • †These authors contributed equally to this work.
  • ‡Contact author: gabriele.micali@humanitasresearch.it
  • §Contact author: marco.cosentino-lagomarsino@ifom.eu
  • ∥Contact author: luca.ciandrini@umontpellier.fr
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PRX Life 4, 012001 – Published 25 March, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/x33x-srz4

Abstract

This tutorial covers the emerging field of coarse-grained cellular growth modeling, and aims to bridge the gap between theoretical foundations and practical application. By adopting an original “cookbook” approach, it is designed to offer a hands-on guide for constructing and analyzing different key aspects of cellular growth, focusing on available results for bacteria and beyond. The tutorial is structured as a series of step-by-step “recipes,” and covers essential concepts, recent literature, and key challenges. It aims to empower a broad audience, from students to seasoned researchers, to replicate, extend, and innovate in this scientific area. Specifically, each section provides detailed, bare-bones models to start working in each area, from basic steady-state growth to variable environments and focusing on different key layers relevant to biosynthesis, transcription, translation, nutrient sensing, and protein degradation, links between cell cycle and growth, ending with ecological insights.

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PRX Life 4, 012001– Published 25 March, 2026
  • Received 25 July 2025
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