R E Baker et al 2008 Nonlinearity 21 R251 doi:10.1088/0951-7715/21/11/R05
R E Baker1, E A Gaffney1 and P K Maini1,2
Show affiliationsRecommended by J A Glazier
Understanding the mechanisms governing and regulating the emergence of structure and heterogeneity within cellular systems, such as the developing embryo, represents a multiscale challenge typifying current integrative biology research, namely, explaining the macroscale behaviour of a system from microscale dynamics. This review will focus upon modelling how cell-based dynamics orchestrate the emergence of higher level structure. After surveying representative biological examples and the models used to describe them, we will assess how developments at the scale of molecular biology have impacted on current theoretical frameworks, and the new modelling opportunities that are emerging as a result. We shall restrict our survey of mathematical approaches to partial differential equations and the tools required for their analysis. We will discuss the gap between the modelling abstraction and biological reality, the challenges this presents and highlight some open problems in the field.
87.10.-e General theory and mathematical aspects
87.17.Aa Modeling, computer simulation of cell processes
87.18.-h Biological complexity
87.18.Hf Spatiotemporal pattern formation in cellular populations
Issue 11 (November 2008)
Received 19 June 2008, in final form 19 September 2008
Published 20 October 2008
R E Baker et al 2008 Nonlinearity 21 R251
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