CDEV-05 Contributed Talks

Marwa Akao

Nagoya university

"Quantitative understanding of bone loss mechanism in mice using mathematical analysis"

Osteoporosis is a disease that affects more than 200 million people all over the world. Although its underlying mechanisms are gradually being revealed, effective treatments or preventive measures have not been established yet. This study focused on age-related osteoporosis by measuring bone mass and bone metabolism markers in mice from 4 to 52 weeks of age. We developed mathematical models describing bone metabolism and analyzed experimental data. From the result of data analysis, we quantitatively elucidated the mechanisms of bone loss. Furthermore, we conducted treatment intervention simulations by changing parameter values in mathematical models to identify effective bone metabolism pathways for increasing bone mass and new potential therapeutic strategies.

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William Annan

Clarkson University

"Studying Retinal Detachment Progression Using an Immersed Boundary Method"

Retinal detachment occurs when the neurosensory retina separates from the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), disrupting the nutrient supply to photoreceptor cells. There are three types of retinal detachment: exudative (ERD), tractional (TRD), and rhegmatogenous (RRD), with RRD being the most common. RRD develops when a retinal tear or hole allows vitreous humor to enter the subretinal space, causing the neurosensory retina to detach from the RPE. If left untreated, this condition can lead to irreversible vision loss. Although ophthalmological tools can detect RRD, its rate of progression—particularly due to continuous eye movement—remains poorly understood. This study develops a fluid-structure interaction model to examine how various factors, including retinal thickness, elasticity, adhesion strength between the retina and RPE, vitreous humor density and viscosity, and eye rotation speed, influence detachment progression. By quantifying detachment rates under different conditions, this research aims to enhance our understanding of RRD dynamics and refine estimates of effective treatment timelines to prevent permanent visual impairment. Student: William Ebo Annan Advisors: Prof. Diana White & Prof. Emmanuel O.A. Asamani

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Rebecca Crossley

University of Oxford

"Coarse-graining a structured population model for cell migration into the local environment"

Collective cell migration plays a crucial role in numerous biological processes, including cancer growth, wound healing, and the immune response. Often, the migrating population consists of cells with various different phenotypes. This study derives a general mathematical framework for modelling cell migration into the micro-environment, which is coarse-grained from an underlying individual-based model that captures some of the dynamics of cell migration that are influenced by the phenotype of the cell, such as: random movement, proliferation, phenotypic transitions, and interactions with the external environment. The resulting model provides a continuum, macroscopic description of cell invasion, which represents the phenotype of the cell as a continuous variable and is much more amenable to simulation and analysis than its individual-based counterpart when considering a large number of phenotypes. The results highlight how phenotypic structuring impacts the spatial and temporal dynamics of cell populations, demonstrating that different environmental pressures and phenotypic transition mechanisms significantly influence invasion patterns.

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