Wanda Strychalski, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill


A Cut Cell Method for Modeling Spatial Systems of Biochemical Reactions on Arbitrary Cell Geometries


Abstract: Cells respond to environmental stimuli through a cascade of protein interactions, called signaling networks, to generate the appropriate response. For many systems, such as cell polarization, spatial in addition to temporal regulation is involved in transducing a signal through a network. Recent mathematical models of these systems emphasize the importance of cellular geometry, but have been limited in accurately representing this in simulations. Our finite volume method addresses this problem through the use of Cartesian cut cells and is second order in space and time.

Advisors: David Adalsteinsson and Timothy Elston (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill)