Speaker
Description
Cell populations consist of heterogeneous cells and are maintained through cell production via complex differentiation processes. To quantitatively understand these intricate dynamics, we employed mathematical modeling across two distinct biological domains: the hematopoietic system and oncogenic proliferation. Regarding the differentiation dynamics of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), we performed a mathematical analysis of experimental tracking data from blood cell production following transplantation. This allowed us to quantify which production pathways play a dominant role in long-term hematopoietic maintenance, thereby identifying the importance of pathways within a hierarchical differentiation system. In parallel, we modeled the cancer proliferation process driven by extrachromosomal DNA (ecDNA) harboring driver mutations. Our model elucidates how the unequal segregation mechanism of ecDNA during cell division generates profound genetic heterogeneity within the population, and how this heterogeneity contributes to overall growth rates and environmental adaptability. Through these two studies, we discuss the broader outlook for the quantitative understanding of cell population dynamics. By formulating these processes mathematically, we aim to provide a comprehensive theoretical foundation for manipulating cell fates in regenerative medicine and forecasting therapeutic resistance in oncology.
