Focused Research Groups (FRG): The Dynamics of Growing Biogels

生物素在生物系统功能中的重要性越来越被人们所认识，但很少有理论工作来理解它们的行为。 数学非常适合于理清决定细胞结构和功能的许多力（机械力、电化学力和生物化学力）之间的相互作用。 研究人员使用数学工具来探索细胞生长和动力学的四个密切相关的问题，重点是模式形成机制以及模式和功能之间的关系。这四个问题是生物膜和血块的形成和功能，胃的保护，以及细胞与流动液体接触的行为。 模型的开发，以了解如何确定和控制的物理特性，如粘弹性本构特性和凝胶形态，以及这些属性如何影响生物功能的凝胶。 研究人员使用分析和计算工具来研究凝胶生长和动力学在不同尺度上使用各种模型（连续，离散，各向同性，各向异性），同时试图纳入什么是已知的实验，并扩大实验数据库关于特定的凝胶系统。 生物凝胶是水、丝状蛋白质网络和其他化学物质的复合物，并且越来越多地被认为对许多生物系统的功能具有深远的影响。 在重要的生物环境中，这些细胞发挥着重要作用，包括血凝块形成、难以治疗的细菌感染和胃粘膜的适当保护功能。 提高对生物素如何形成以及它们的性质如何调节的理解对于理解这些重要过程以及如何操纵它们来改善人类健康至关重要。 由于分子的形成和调节受物理和化学性质的控制，而且这些性质可以用数学表示，因此数学工具可以用来解决这些问题。 通过理论分析和计算模拟的电子束，丰富的详细数据可以得到补充的数据，可从传统的实验室实验。 因此，在这个项目中，数学和实验解释器的结合有望导致对细胞行为的重要新见解。 该项目包括数学家、生物工程师和生物学家，并为学生和博士后提供跨学科的研究和培训机会。

The importance of biogels in the function of biologicalsystems is increasingly recognized, yet little theoretical workhas been done to understand their behavior. Mathematics iswell-suited to sorting out the interplay among the many forces(mechanical, electrochemical, and biochemical) that determinebiogel structure and function. The investigators usemathematical tools to explore four closely related problems ofbiogel growth and dynamics, with an emphasis on pattern-formingmechanisms and the relationship between pattern and function.The four problems are biofilm and blood clot formation andfunction, gastric protection of the stomach, and the behavior ofbiogels in contact with a moving fluid. Models are developed tounderstand how physical properties such as the viscoelasticconstitutive properties and the gel morphology are determined andcontrolled, and how these properties affect the biologicalfunction of the biogel. The investigators use analytical andcomputational tools to examine gel growth and dynamics ondifferent scales using various models (continuum, discrete,isotropic, anisotropic), while attempting to incorporate what isknown experimentally, and to expand the experimental databaseabout specific biogel systems. Biogels are composites of water, filamentous proteinnetworks, and other chemicals, and are increasingly recognized ashaving profound influence on the function of many biologicalsystems. Important biological settings in which these biogelsplay a major role include blood clot formation,difficult-to-treat bacterial infections, and the properprotective functioning of the stomach lining. Improvedunderstanding of how biogels are formed and how their propertiesare regulated is critical to understanding these importantprocesses and how they can be manipulated to improve humanhealth. Because the formation and regulation of biogels isgoverned by physical and chemical properties and because theseproperties can be expressed mathematically, mathematical toolscan be brought to bear on these problems. Through mathematicalanalysis and computational simulations of biogels, a wealth ofdetailed data can be obtained that complements the dataobtainable from traditional laboratory experiments. Hence thecombination of mathematical and experimental investigatorsbrought together in this project is expected to lead to importantnew insights about biogel behavior. The project includesmathematicians, a bioengineer, and a biologist, and providesinterdisciplinary research and training opportunities forstudents and postdocs.