Professor Magdalena Stolarska

This group is continuing to work on projects that use mathematical modeling to study cell movement. During 2022, they began work on a mathematical model and computational tool whose aim is to investigate how the layer of actin immediately adjacent to the cell membrane, i.e. the actin cortex, generates stresses that lead to movement. The membrane-cortex connection is modulated by accessory proteins, and the nature of this connection is not well understood. By modeling various forms of membrane-cortex connections (viscous, no slip, heterogeneous), the researchers study how active cortex deformations allow for various modes of motility, such as swimming and blebbing. The governing equations of the modeling approach are based principles of continuum mechanics and are typically solved using the finite element method.