Mathematical Biology

Mathematical Biology at UCL includes the groups of Dr. Steve Baigent, Prof. Karen Page and Prof. Alexey Zaikin. Some of the research activity of Prof. Frank Smith and Dr. Nick Ovenden also falls in this category.

Topics of research include analysis of global properties of dynamical systems models in ecology, the study of evolutionary games and evolutionary dynamics.

Modelling in biomedicine is another theme. This incorporates multi-scale modelling of the immune system and proteasomal degradation, genetic synthetic engineering, e.g. investigation of synthetic genetic oscillators, especially those with intercell communication, i.e. quorum sensing and the theory of noise-induced phenomena in spatially distributed systems, including applications to bone modelling. Modelling the control of blood circulation in the brain and the treatment of cerebrovascular abnormalities are further areas of study. In addition, the fluid mechanical study of coated bubbles is useful in the development of microbubble contrast agents for ultrasound imaging. Fluid mechanical studies of lower urinary tract have relevance to incontinence research.

Mathematical models of embryonic development are another focus, in particular of the neural tube and neuronal differentiation. These use techniques from dynamical systems, to model gene regulation, randomly perturbed dynamical systems to understand the role of noise in patterning and also spatial models of tissue growth and patterning.

Within the systems biology of cancer, aims include using models to understand the process of metastasis, improving early diagnosis and new oncomarkers for women’s cancers, new DNA methylation network measures and new DNA methylation intra-gene measures to improve cancer diagnostics.

Group Members