Chemical Engineering Seminar Series: Prof. Lopamudra Giri

Quantitative live cell imaging and Systems biology: Insights into cell states and population response.

Over the past decade, a growing number of research laboratories have developed mathematical models of signalling pathways using systems modelling approaches. However, most of the experimental data used to test such models are averaged measurements from a large population of cells. This approach sometimes masks important temporal fluctuations, such as biochemical oscillations, that result in the potential misrepresentation of various temporal variations. In this context,  we propose that live-cell confocal imaging is a powerful tool for studying the dynamics of biological systems. In this work, we demonstrate an integration of molecular imaging with mathematical modelling that enables deciphering of neuronal states within a population of hippocampal neurons. Additionally, we show that estimation of parameters can be used for identifying the sources of cell-to-cell variability. Finally, we emphasize the significance of quantitative microscopy and mathematical modelling in expanding our understanding of the communication between cells in a population. In the future, imaging of ex vivo models combined with a systems biology approach may provide a digital twin platform for assessment of drugs and other molecular details.