Stochastic and Nonlinear Biological Dynamics


In physics we can make remarkable progress with very simple models. In biology we cannot. Non-linearity is all pervasive as living systems are in constant exchange with their environments and complex feedback structures govern processes from the molecular to the ecosystem level. We have been investigating how such feedbacks shape cellular and tissue-level processes, and how we can learn to control and guide non-linear systems.

Much of our work focusses on the interplay between non-linear dynamics and stochasticity. This is an incredible fruitful and exciting area of research, both mathematically and biologically. Mathematically we have to combine traditional paper-and-pencil calculations with state-of-the-art computer simulations. The precise manner in which noise and non-linearity interact can shape the organisation of biological systems profoundly, and we combine our mathematical work with data analysis and work closely with experimental and clinical collaborators to understand the drivers of life at the cellular scale.

Whether bifurcations persist once dynamics are stochastic, for example, is a surprisingly subtle problem but one of great biological importance in cell biology.

Latest research

2018

Tomasz Jetka; Karol Nienałtowski; Sarah Filippi; Michael P.H. Stumpf; Michał Komorowski

An information-theoretic framework for deciphering pleiotropic and noisy biochemical signaling Journal Article

In: Nat Commun, vol. 9, no. 1, 2018, ISSN: 2041-1723.

Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Fate cells | Cell states and Cell maps, Stochastic and nonlinear biological dynamics

2017

Adam L. MacLean; Maia A. Smith; Juliane Liepe; Aaron Sim; Reema Khorshed; Narges M. Rashidi; Nico Scherf; Axel Krinner; Ingo Roeder; Cristina Lo Celso; Michael P.H. Stumpf

Single Cell Phenotyping Reveals Heterogeneity Among Hematopoietic Stem Cells Following Infection Journal Article

In: vol. 35, no. 11, pp. 2292–2304, 2017, ISSN: 1549-4918.

Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Fate cells | Cell states and Cell maps, Stochastic and nonlinear biological dynamics

2016

Helen Weavers; Juliane Liepe; Aaron Sim; Will Wood; Paul Martin; Michael P.H. Stumpf

Systems Analysis of the Dynamic Inflammatory Response to Tissue Damage Reveals Spatiotemporal Properties of the Wound Attractant Gradient Journal Article

In: Current Biology, vol. 26, no. 15, pp. 1975–1989, 2016, ISSN: 0960-9822.

Links | BibTeX | Tags: Fate cells | Cell states and Cell maps, Stochastic and nonlinear biological dynamics

Sarah Filippi; Chris P. Barnes; Paul D.W. Kirk; Takamasa Kudo; Katsuyuki Kunida; Siobhan S. McMahon; Takaho Tsuchiya; Takumi Wada; Shinya Kuroda; Michael P.H. Stumpf

Robustness of MEK-ERK Dynamics and Origins of Cell-to-Cell Variability in MAPK Signaling Journal Article

In: Cell Reports, vol. 15, no. 11, pp. 2524–2535, 2016, ISSN: 2211-1247.

Links | BibTeX | Tags: Fate cells | Cell states and Cell maps, Stochastic and nonlinear biological dynamics