External seminar - Efe Ilker (MPI PKS)

Abstract:

Branched patterns are ubiquitous in biology and play a fundamental role in organs that optimize exchange surfaces. However, the mechanisms by which these branched patterns grow to the appropriate size, topology, and shape to meet physiological demands remain largely unknown. Interestingly, these biological patterns often resemble physical systems that exhibit branching, such as diffusion-limited aggregation, viscous fingering, and solidification. While these phenomena can inspire biophysical models, there is a need for new models that account for the special aspects of animal development, including growth, degrowth, and regeneration.

In this talk, I will demonstrate self-organized formation of branched patterns in lattice and continuum models where the growth of cluster (tissue) is regulated by morphogens produced in the cluster. I will first illustrate control of topology and of scaling properties in branched patterns, which is relevant for developing organisms. In the second part, I will explore the branching morphogenesis of the planarian (flatworm) gut, a highly branched organ responsible for nutrient delivery. Our framework successfully captures the scaling laws of planarian gut morphology and paves the way for studying the emergence of allometric scaling laws in other branching systems.