Cole Zmurchok

Quasi-steady-state reduction of models of intracellular transport

We apply QSS methods to study the behaviour of reaction-advection-diffusion models for intracellular transport. The QSS reduction describes how molecular events and model parameters can affect the transport process.

• Zmurchok, C., Small, T., Ward, M.J., Edelstein-Keshet, L. Bull Math Biol (2017) 79: 1923. doi:10.1007/s11538-017-0314-1
• PDF (author's version)

Modelling collective cell migration

In the zebrafish embryo, a group of about 100 cells (the posterior lateral line primordium, PLLP) migrates from head to tail. We model the process from the initial polarization to the migration, and determine how tissue polarity could arise. We use a 3D deformable-ellipsoid cell-based simulation to model migration.

• Knutsdottir H, Zmurchok C*, Bhaskar D, Palsson E, Dalle Nogare D, et al. (2017) Polarization and migration in the zebrafish posterior lateral line system. PLOS Computational Biology 13(4): e1005451

Direction-depdendent communication mechanisms in collective behaviour

Direction-dependent communication, such as sight and sound, is implicated in the formation of groups of individuals. Using a variety of communication mechanisms, we use a simple 1D model to study the behaviour of a swarm, school, or flock, and discover a variety of spatial patterns.

• MSc Thesis, University of Alberta. Direction-Dependent Communication Mechanisms in Individual-Based Models of Collective Behaviour
• Preprint available by email