Morphogen gradients, which are concentration gradients of signaling play an important role in driving pattern formation during development and in malignant tissue growth during disease. To understand the dynamics of morphogen gradients inside an active material, we construct and analyze a 2D Voronoi model for the mechanical behavior of confluent tissues, where there are no gaps or overlaps between cells, that incorporates feedbacks between cell mechanical properties and morphogen gradients.  We study the effect of morphogen gradients on the fluid solid transition, as well as the effect of collective cell motility on the dynamics of morphogens, with an overall goal of understanding pattern formation in such coupled systems.

Manning group participants: Elizabeth Lawson Keister
Collaborators: Elizabeth Lawson Keister