Reaction Diffusion Systems in Biology

Lehrveranstaltung 3233 L 523 im Wintersemester 2012/2013 

Dozent: Dr. Sergio Alonso

Vorlesung

Mo 10:00-12:00 (EW 731) Erster Termin am 22. Oktober!

Für Studierende der Physik (Master und Diplom-Hauptstudium)

The focus of the course will be on the quantitative mathematical modelling of biological processes by reaction-diffusion systems both on the inter- and intracellular level. The lecture course will also provide an introduction to numerical methods for the solution of reaction-diffusion equations.
Various examples that will be considered range from physiology to wave dynamics and symmetry breaking inside cells:

•  Intracellular calcium dynamics and intracellular metabolic processes (e.g. glycolysis, phosphorylation of proteins)
•  Waves of electric activity in cardiac tissue (including their importance for cardiac arrhythmia as tachycardia and fibrillation)
•  Lipid domain formation at membranes at mesoscopic scales
•  Polarization processes prior to cell migration or morphogenesis

More general aspects studied include the use of numerical bifurcation and stability analysis, the impact of spatio-temporal noise and heterogeneities, three-dimensional travelling waves, as well as control of pattern formation in reaction-diffusion systems.

Bemerkung: Die Vorlesung wird in englischer Sprache gehalten.