Cell population dynamics

The course will endow the students with theoretical as well as practical knowledge of cell population dynamics in animal biology. I will focus on examples of concerted cell behaviors that have been biophysically-characterized and/or mathematically modeled. Several aspects of cell populations will be considered and covered: movements, rearrangements, concerted signaling and gene expression. Hands-on activities in the teaching lab will focus on examples of cell polarization and migration in tissue culture, as well as cell rearrangements in vivo using Drosophila melanogaster as a model.

Students will acquire understanding of the state of the art in studying behaviors of cell populations. In particular:
-they will learn the techniques utilized to visualize cell changes, both those involving averaging and those describing single cells.
- they will be able to select the appropriate system and apply the correct set of descriptors to answer typical quantitative questions in the field of cell and tissue biology.
-they will develop a critical capacity to evaluate relevant experimental examples provided by published studies.
-they will practice communication of the qualitative and quantitative aspects of relevant studies keeping in mind different target audiences.