Quals research talk: Biological pattern optimization using genetic algorithms

Abstract

The process behind the development of an organism’s shape, known as morphogenesis, relies heavily on electrochemical interactions between neighboring cells. These interactions between cells form a bioelectric "pattern", where the pattern formed is dependent on the initial state of cellular and environmental conditions. While there is no known method for finding a set of initial conditions based on a specified pattern, there are mathematical models that can model the development of these patterns when given a set of initial conditions. We aim to use these models, along with a genetic algorithm to search for sets of initial conditions given specific patterns that we would like to create.