In this project the PI will study the population and information dynamics that drive the infection of the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans by the opportunistic bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The worm offers advantages as a host model: its geometry is simple and it is easy to cultivate and image, while mechanism of infection and innate immune response are evolutionary conserved. The physical locomotion of bacteria within the host, their sensation of the host environment, and their adaptation and collective response will be imaged and quantified. Data will be analyzed and compiled into a theoretical framework, inspired by the physics of population dynamics and the statistical mechanics of ordering phenomena in disordered systems. This project will provide detailed description of within-host bacterial dynamics, believed to be key determinant in evolution of virulence and resistance to infection. While the project will focus on infection of C. elegans, emerging theoretical concepts are expected to be broadly applicable. Novel tools will be developed to permit long-term high-resolution imaging. The true interdisciplinary nature of the project and the general interest in pathogenesis bear the potential to attract a diverse cohort of students. The PI will develop a new course intended for advanced undergraduate and graduate students, which will discuss a spectrum of dynamical biological systems and develop the theoretical and practical aspects of modeling a complex biological system. The PI will establish a discussion group to accompany the project, composed of undergraduate students and public school teachers.
This project is being jointly supported by the Physics of Living Systems program in the Division of Physics and the Physiological and Structural Systems in the Division of Integrative Organismal Systems.
