Project Summary
Robustness is a fundamental property of all biological systems, and stem cells are one of the most fascinating examples in nature. How the human body and all its diverse cell types are able to be populated by a single embryonic stem cell remains an area of research that we are able to now actually study at the level of the single cell. This project aims to develop statistical models that provide an insight into robust mechanisms that control populations of stem cells during differentiation to an array of cell fates. Being able to decompose pathways into robust and fragile components will lead to applications in synthetic biology, as well as insights into what manipulation and perturbation strategies to apply to allow for stronger control of robustness in cells.
