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

University Of Utah, Salt Lake City UT

Investigators

Abstract

The importance of biogels in the function of biological systems is increasingly recognized, yet little theoretical work has been done to understand their behavior. Mathematics is well-suited to sorting out the interplay among the many forces (mechanical, electrochemical, and biochemical) that determine biogel structure and function. The investigators use mathematical tools to explore four closely related problems of biogel growth and dynamics, with an emphasis on pattern-forming mechanisms and the relationship between pattern and function. The four problems are biofilm and blood clot formation and function, gastric protection of the stomach, and the behavior of biogels in contact with a moving fluid. Models are developed to understand how physical properties such as the viscoelastic constitutive properties and the gel morphology are determined and controlled, and how these properties affect the biological function of the biogel. The investigators use analytical and computational tools to examine gel growth and dynamics on different scales using various models (continuum, discrete, isotropic, anisotropic), while attempting to incorporate what is known experimentally, and to expand the experimental database about specific biogel systems. Biogels are composites of water, filamentous protein networks, and other chemicals, and are increasingly recognized as having profound influence on the function of many biological systems. Important biological settings in which these biogels play a major role include blood clot formation, difficult-to-treat bacterial infections, and the proper protective functioning of the stomach lining. Improved understanding of how biogels are formed and how their properties are regulated is critical to understanding these important processes and how they can be manipulated to improve human health. Because the formation and regulation of biogels is governed by physical and chemical properties and because these properties can be expressed mathematically, mathematical tools can be brought to bear on these problems. Through mathematical analysis and computational simulations of biogels, a wealth of detailed data can be obtained that complements the data obtainable from traditional laboratory experiments. Hence the combination of mathematical and experimental investigators brought together in this project is expected to lead to important new insights about biogel behavior. The project includes mathematicians, a bioengineer, and a biologist, and provides interdisciplinary research and training opportunities for students and postdocs.