Project
Cell differentiation architectures
My research explores theoretical frameworks for investigating how biological cells divide and become more specialised, referred to as cell differentiation. There are multiple ways that cells can be 'reprogrammed' in the lab to change their differentiation pathway. In this project, I used a mathematical model known as a branching process to study which reprogramming strategy is the most 'effective’. What is considered ‘effective’ depends on the biological context. For example, when studying blood cell differentiation, producing more cells may be more effective. Whereas, when studying cancer cell differentiation, producing less cells is the desired outcome.
The result of this research is a general framework for exploring cell differentiation and reprogramming. The framework can determine paths through cell differentiation space with countably finite numbers of cell types, as well as extinction and fixation probabilities for reprogramming strategies. Cost structures can be added to the framework to assess which strategies may be the most 'cost effective'. In addition to the theoretical results, other outcomes and benefits for my research career are new collaborators, including Professor Arne Traulsen, director of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology. Furthermore, through this project, I have recruited a research assistant who is a masters student that will be moving into a new research area because of the support from this project.
Thanks to the funding for this project, I have had the opportunity to meet a new community of potential future collaborators. My travels were fortunate enough to coincide with the Developments in Evolutionary Theory workshop, which brought together researchers who had worked and studied at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology over the last 10 years. Through this workshop I was able to meet with experts in the field of developmental biology that I plan to collaborate with in future. The funding has sparked many new intellectual ideas that will be fruitful for future research.