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Review
. 2013 Oct;25(5):538-42.
doi: 10.1016/j.ceb.2013.04.004. Epub 2013 May 6.

Envisioning migration: mathematics in both experimental analysis and modeling of cell behavior

Elizabeth R Zhang  1 , Lani F Wu, Steven J Altschuler
Affiliations
Review

Envisioning migration: mathematics in both experimental analysis and modeling of cell behavior

Elizabeth R Zhang et al. Curr Opin Cell Biol. 2013 Oct.

Abstract

The complex nature of cell migration highlights the power and challenges of applying mathematics to biological studies. Mathematics may be used to create model equations that recapitulate migration, which can predict phenomena not easily uncovered by experiments or intuition alone. Alternatively, mathematics may be applied to interpreting complex data sets with better resolution--potentially empowering scientists to discern subtle patterns amid the noise and heterogeneity typical of migrating cells. Iteration between these two methods is necessary in order to reveal connections within the cell migration signaling network, as well as to understand the behavior that arises from those connections. Here, we review recent quantitative analysis and mathematical modeling approaches to the cell migration problem.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Envisioning migration. Mathematically fine-tuned experimental analysis enhances the resolution with which behaviors can be observed, while mathematical models provide guidance and prediction of behaviors and networks.
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