Bacterial nutrient uptake and cryopreservation: Bridging scales in mass transport

Mohit Dalwadi (Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford, UK)

Thursday 25th June, 2020 14:00-15:00 ZOOM (ID: 977 3960 3365)

Abstract

Please Note: The ZOOM meeting will be password protected, as per the e-mail you received with subject: "Applied Mathematics Seminar ZOOM password".

Many biological problems involve mass transport processes over vastly different scales of space and time. These types of problem can be very difficult to resolve computationally. In this talk, we showcase how mathematical techniques can be used to systematically bridge these scales in a computationally efficient manner.

We discuss two different problems in this talk. In the first part, we explore the emergent colony behaviour that arises from considering nutrient uptake at the bacterial scale, investigated using an asymptotic homogenization. The results from this model can be used to directly inform larger-scale models.

In the second part of this talk, we explore a problem from cryopreservation - the process of preserving biological constructs by cooling them to very low temperatures. In general, cooling too quickly results in the formation of lethal intracellular ice, while cooling too slowly amplifies the toxic effects of the cryoprotective agents added to limit ice formation. We discuss a mathematical model to understand and quantify these observations, and hence to predict optimal cooling rates.

References:
https://doi.org/10.1137/17M1138625
https://doi.org/10.1137/19M1275875

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