Speaker: Min Wu, Assistant Professor, Mathematical Sciences, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Title: Modes of size and shape regulation in cell wall and tumor spheroid growth
Cutting-edge development in biotechnology and medicine involves reconstructing cells, tissues, and organs. Understanding the formation of living systems can aid in accelerating this work.
I will first discuss our work on the shape regulation of the cell wall apical domain in single-cell filamentous growth. By developing a surface model of cell wall growth and utilizing the cell wall shape data from multiple walled cell species, we find two strategies to maintain a specific cell shape: morphing the secretion profile and moving the exocytosis hotspot.
I will then discuss our study on tumor spheroid size regulation. I will present a continuum model that describes the growth and mechanics in the tumor by considering its elastic properties and rearranging activities in the presence of a graded growth-promoting chemical field. New to the previous experimental and theoretical results, where external physical confinement influences the steady-state tumor size, we find in theory the tumor size can be modulated by its elastic properties and internal rearrangements in a mechanically free growing environment.
I hope to give examples around the concept of "incompatible" growth in an elastic medium by presenting the two works together.
