Deconvolving of Dynamic Cell Cycle Parameters from Flow Cytometry Data

Cell cycle control systems change the way in which cells behave by: checking for the completion of vital tasks, choosing different routes through the cell cycle, determining how daughter cells inherit features, fixing the lifespan of a cell, or allowing a cell to react to its neighbours and the micro-environment. For a mathematical model of the cell cycle to hold credibility and usefulness within the science community, it has be of sufficient complexity to incorporate a minimum number of processes known to be involved in cell-cycle regulation, including growth and division, growth restriction, survival, programmed cell death, DNA checkpoint control and cellular damage response. Mathematical models capable of predicting such behaviour could contribute massively to research, reducing cost and time, reducing animal experimentation, and supporting clinical trials. We understand the wider scale of this endeavour and the need for biologists and theoreticians to work closely together to deliver both a specific and ambitious objective. This PDRA mobility award provides a discipline hopping opportunity to place a young talented engineer/physicist into a 'biology' laboratory where he can understand the extent and limitations of obtaining readouts from cells and thus how to apply advanced numerical solutions for interpreting these data, while at the same time ensuring the biologist has the means for independent validation and experimental testing.