Joint Maud Menten /Math Bio Seminar: Leah Edelstein-Keshet

The classic Lotka-Volterra model for species competition has traditionally been associated with ecological settings where living species compete for limited resources. Here I will discuss two recent examples from work in my group where similar ideas are helpful in models for cell biology. In example 1, two forms of sub-cellular structures compete for dominance. A protein that biases that competition (galvanic) can result in directed cell motility in an electric field. In example 2, an embryoid develops internal cavities (Lumens), but only one such lumen should survive for appropriate development. How a "winner" emerges can also be investigated with the aide of a modified species competition model.