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Advances in measurement technologies have afforded us glimpses into dynamic functional processes, such as morphogenesis and information processing, in cells and tissues involved in development and regeneration. The truly organic dynamism of the biological phenomena exhibited by living cells, individually or in groups, emerges from the coordinated interaction of numerous molecular and genetic factors, and the need for integrated, systems-based approaches to the study of design and operating principles in such “living” phenomena is becoming increasingly clear. This will require not only technologies for the measurement of such elements but the development of applicable mathematical methods as well. In Laboratory for Physical Biology, we will seek to use concepts and methodology from mathematical sciences such as physics in the study and elucidation of these emerging questions in biology.
One example of such a phenomenon is seen in cellular chemotaxis, in which cells recognize concentration gradients of attractant molecule and respond by directional movements necessary for functions such as the exploration of the environment by single-celled organisms, and morphogenesis in metazoa. Chemotactically responsive cells are able to detect differentials in the concentration of an attractant molecule of only a few percent, which, given cell sizes of ranging in the tens of micrometers, translates to a real difference of just a few dozen molecules. Cells are capable of interpreting this minute difference as a gradient that guides the direction of its movement, raising the question of how cells are able to detect and follow such weak and noisy signals. We now know that within their tiny intracellular spaces, cells comprise many interacting molecules that work in a highly orchestrated fashion, and thus give rise to emergent order enabling their orientation. Using quantitative fluorescence imaging data and the analysis of mathematical models, we seek to gain a better understanding of such mechanisms.
Mathematical modeling of the essential aspects of observed phenomena of interest is a useful approach to evaluating whether we have sufficient knowledge of associated molecules, reactions, and cellular interactions to explain them. The abstracted mathematical idea of particular phenomena may further reveal general principles that underlie the living systems more broadly across diverse taxa. We seek to contribute to the thorough exploration of these fascinating problems in biology through concepts and methods adapted from the mathematical sciences.
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