Professor Ben Simons - Theories of branching morphogenesis

Title: Theories of branching morphogenesis
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Abstract: The mechanisms that specify the complex organization of branched tissues has been the subject of long-standing debate. Although much is known about the molecular programmes that control the underlying cell fate decisions, it remains unclear how macroscopic features of branched organs, including their size, ductal network topology and spatial pattern are encoded. Based on large-scale three-dimensional reconstructions of the developing mouse mammary gland and kidney epithelium, we show that statistical features of branched epithelia can be explained quantitatively through a local self-organizing principle based on the branching and annihilating random walk (BARW). We discuss emergent features of the BARW model and its generalizations to different branching contexts, and we contrast its behaviour to more stereotypic branching programmes. Finally, we highlight how the problem of branching morphogenesis provides a vivid illustration of how concepts and approaches from non-equilibrium statistical theory and active matter physics may find impact in the realm of developmental biology.
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About the speaker: Professor Ben Simons is the Herschel Smith Chair in Physics at the Cavendish Laboratory at the University of Cambridge. His research focusses on theoretical condensed matter physics and the application of methods of statistical physics and collective phenomena to problems in biological systems. In the former, he has contributed to the study of quantum phase coherence effects, the many-body physics of ultracold atom gases and systems driven away from equilibrium. In the field of stem cell and developmental biology, he has applied theoretical, statistical and computational approaches to improve understanding of cell and progenitor fate in normal and cancerous tissues. For his interdisciplinary work in applying methods from physics to biological systems, he has been awarded the Gabor Medal and the Rosalind Franklin Medal and Prize. He also holds the Royal Society EP Abraham Research Fellowship at the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics at the University of Cambridge.
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