Research Director

Hiroki Kurihara

The University of Tokyo
Professor
website

Outline

Tissues and organs constituting our bodies are formed through interactions between diverse cell populations, in each of which cellular dynamics and gene expression are highly heterogeneous. Here we address the issue of how diverse and heterogeneous cellular dynamics lead to orders, patterns and pertinent functions by performing analysis of cellular dynamics in mouse and avian embryos, live imaging of angiogenic processes, constitutive analysis of single-cell networks, and analysis of chromatin dynamics upon the ‘transcription machinery’ theory. Based on the experimental data, we will establish partial differential equation (continuous) and cellular automaton (discrete) mathematical models, interrelated through ultra-discretization and inverse ultra-discretization, to simulate the biological processes whereby cardiac rhythm and pump functions are elaborated and vascular structures are arborized. Finally, we will integrate the experimental and theoretical approaches to create a novel field of ‘cell population and community biology’ and establish its methodological platform.

Collaborators