Speaker
Description
Mammalian fertilization consists of spermatozoon motion towards an oocyte, followed by penetration of zona pellucida, the outer layer of an oocyte. Experiments reveal that glycan and enzyme kinetics, as well as advection, are important to this process despite their roles not being well understood. Mathematical models bridge the gap between theory and experimentation. I will present an advection-reaction-diffusion model that provides in-silico insight into underlying competing physiological factors. I will show this insight is clearly demonstrated by numerical results. Our model displays desirable properties such as positivity and boundedness while accommodating reaction mechanisms for the underlying chemicals. An important observation realized by my model is that if one assumes the zona pellucida does not diffuse, even in the absence of advection, sperm can penetrate zona pellucida due to reaction and diffusion. This assumption is supported by experimental results. My presentation will conclude with generalizations of our model and some comments about future research directions.
