Professor Magdalena Stolarska

This group is continuing to work on projects that use mathematical modeling to study cell movement. During 2023, they developed 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. In 2024, research will continue to investigate the membrane-cortex connection, which is modulated by accessory proteins. By modeling various forms of membrane-cortex connections (viscous, no slip, heterogeneous), the researchers will study how active cortex deformations allow for various modes of motility, such as swimming, blebbing, and movement through a solid extracellular medium. The governing equations of the modeling approach are based on principles of continuum mechanics and are typically solved using the finite element method. During this period, the researchers plan to modify the model and computational tool to investigate how the stiffness of the extracellular medium affects the membrane-cortex connection and its ability to control cell movement.