Towards spatial control of cellular collectives using light #

Andrea Giusti, Mario di Bernardo, Thomas E Gorochowski

12:10 Tuesday in 3Q16.

Part of the Collective behaviour and transport session.

Abstract #

Many microorganisms actively navigate their environment and respond to light by changing their movement. Such stimuli can affect different aspects of their movement, with the effects varying from species to species and even between different individuals. The combination of such stochastic, and often variable responses and individual behaviours can, nevertheless, lead to the emergence of macroscopic behaviours, such as accumulation or efficient dispersal. Mathematical models that accurately capture the movement and response of motile microorganisms to light are currently lacking, hampering the development of spatial control strategies. This work aims to develop a methodology to address both of these challenges for a range of organisms from protozoa to microscopic algae. We use a low-cost experimental platform called the Dynamic Optical Micro-Environment (DOME), which combines microscopic imaging, flexible light actuation, and embedded computation for real-time analysis and feedback control of living cells (Rubio Dennis et al. Advanced Intelligent Systems, 2022). Here, we exploit the DOME’s ability for high-throughput data acquisition to enable a data-driven modelling approach to characterize the movement of different types of microorganism and their responses to varying light stimuli. Such models are used to develop agent-based simulators, and design feedback control strategies. These combine spatial and single-cell light stimuli to steer the movement of a collective of cells toward a desired spatial pattern. We then use the DOME to directly execute our control strategies and demonstrate the ability to guide the behaviour of living collectives. Our work provides a new method for deepening our understanding of how microbial organisms move and respond to light, as well as the most effective methods to control their collective behaviours, with potential applications in biological control theory, engineering biology and spatial ecology.