Conferences  >  Life Sciences  >  Systems Biology and Computational Biology  >  Canada

Society for Mathematical Biology

Banff International Research Station for Mathematical Innovation and Discovery (BIRS)

Symbiotic relationships are ubiquitous on our planet, and a necessary component of life in all its forms. Symbioses have been identified in ecological contexts ranging from forests, to coral reefs, to the microbiota of humans. Despite their importance, the main body of theory largely neglects key features of host-symbiont relationships, such as their interdependent fitness and the fluctuating abundance of symbionts within a hosts’ lifetime. This lack of mathematical theory limits our predictive understanding of the ecological and evolutionary dynamics of these communities, and is affecting our ability to successfully manage and conserve them. During this workshop, biologists and mathematicians will come together to discuss the current challenges and opportunities for the mathematical modelling of symbiotic systems. Participants will develop the foundations of a new class of ‘eco-evolutionary’ models that explicitly accounts for host-symbiont intertwined ecology and evolution, and for the consequences of this interdependence. The developed models will help advance our mechanistic understanding of host-symbiont community dynamics, with implications ranging from forestry management, to coral reef conservation, to human health.

Applied Mathematics (in general),    Modeling and Simulation

Banff International Research Station for Mathematical Innovation and Discovery (BIRS)

In-host modelling is a burgeoning field at the intersection of biology, mathematics, and computational science, dedicated to unravelling the intricate dynamics of disease and the immune system within individual hosts. The field has evolved significantly over time, driven by the need to understand how pathogens interact with the immune system and how interventions like treatments and vaccines can alter disease or infection outcomes. More work needs to be done to understand how genetic, environmental, and physiological factors affect how individuals respond to infections, vaccines, and treatments, influenced by variations in age, comorbidities, sex, ethnicity, immune-related genes, exposure histories, and overall health. Understanding these differences is crucial for advancing personalized and group-targeted medicines or vaccines, developing new drugs and vaccines, and optimizing public health programming for all populations. A workshop focus will be on key questions from industry and government through large and small group discussions. Industry and government reports will result.

Applied Mathematics (in general),    Modeling and Simulation

Banff International Research Station for Mathematical Innovation and Discovery (BIRS)

According to recently published research study in Canada Medical Association Journal, in 2024, the number of new cancer cases and deaths from cancer were expected to reach 247 100 and 88 100, respectively. A key driver of cancer formation, development and its metastasis are single cancer cells. Understanding the biochemical processes that drive their force generation and polarisation and their mechanical properties might aid our understanding of how single cancer cells evolve over time and how they aid the formation of primary and secondary tumours. Cell migration is essential for many biological processes; e.g. immune response, embryogenesis, and cancer metastasis. The aim of this 5-day workshop is to bring applied mathematicians, cellular, molecular and developmental biologists, biophysicists, biostatisticians, biomechanical engineers and biotechnologists to deliberate on a roadmap towards developing 2- and 3-D mechanobiochemical models (MBMs) for single and collective cell migration through non-isotropic environments. The ultimate goal is to develop biophysically- and mathematically-engineered artificial cells that can be easily interrogated and perturbed for medical, biomedical, cancer and drug-delivery research at low cost, while reducing the use of animals in experiments.

Applied Mathematics (in general),    Modeling and Simulation

Banff International Research Station for Mathematical Innovation and Discovery (BIRS)

The mathematical modeling of biological systems with partial differential equations has a long and successful history. Many results on species invasion or extinction, pattern formation and species interactions have been derived and used to better understand the biology around us. Applications cover a vast scale of sizes, from protein movement in the cell nucleus, to cell movement to tissue structure, organ structure, up to species interactions on the population level. Recently, a new model class arose that include finite distance interactions into the partial differential equation (PDE) framework. Non-local interactions relate to different sensing mechanisms, starting with sensing through sight and smell, to sensing through touch, cell-cell contact and cell protrusions to more abstract concepts such as learning and memory. In this workshop we aim to bring together established and young researchers to push the frontiers of research into non-local partial differential equations and their applications to biological problems.

Modeling and Simulation,    Calculus, Differential Equations and Integration