Computational modelling of cell movement and chemotaxis

Cell movement is important in health and in disease. In health, white blood cells must migrate out of blood vessels and through tissues to where they are needed. Conversely, if cells move when they should not, it can cause great harm - the most obvious example is metastasis, when a cancer spreads from a tumour to distant parts of the body. Despite this cell movement is poorly understood. We propose to build a computer model that accurately mimics cell movement, and to use it to sort, test and validate different theories of how cells move. We also propose to train a mathematics expert so he can cross over into the biology field.

This grant has one research aim and one training aim. The research aim is to generate a computational model that accurately represents the movement of single cells. We are particularly interested in the complexities of real cell migration, including the behaviour of cells with multiple pseudopods and the generation of new pseudopods by bifurcation. As part of this aim we will test whether our models behave similarly to real cells. The training aim is to allow an established mathematician to become established as a cell biologist, both by generating models of cell movement and explaining and justifying them to a biomedical audience, and also by a thorough grounding in ?wet? techniques. These will including growing and handling the cells used for this test, transfecting them with appropriate GFP fusions, and testing the models using various motility and chemotaxis assays and different types of microscopy.