A Roadmap towards Developing Mechanobiochemical Models for Single and Collective Cell Migration through Complex Non-Isotropic Environments (26w5573)

The Banff International Research Station will host the "A Roadmap towards Developing Mechanobiochemical Models for Single and Collective Cell Migration through Complex Non-Isotropic Environments" workshop in Banff from May 10 to May 15, 2026.

According to recently published research study in Canada Medical Association Journal, in 2024, the number of new cancer cases and deaths from cancer were expected to reach 247 100 and 88 100, respectively \cite{brenner2024projected}. A key driver of cancer formation, development and its metastasis are single cancer cells. Understanding the biochemical processes that drive their force generation and polarisation and their mechanical properties might aid our understanding of how single cancer cells evolve over time and how they aid the formation of primary and secondary tumours. Cell migration is essential for many biological processes; e.g. immune response, embryogenesis, and cancer metastasis.

The aim of this 5-day workshop is to bring applied mathematicians, cellular, molecular and developmental biologists, biophysicists, biostatisticians, biomechanical engineers and biotechnologists to deliberate on a roadmap towards developing 2- and 3-D mechanobiochemical models (MBMs) for single and collective cell migration through non-isotropic environments. The ultimate goal is to develop biophysically- and mathematically-engineered artificial cells that can be easily interrogated and perturbed for medical, biomedical, cancer and drug-delivery research at low cost, while reducing the use of animals in experiments.

The Banff International Research Station for Mathematical Innovation and Discovery (BIRS) is a collaborative Canada-US-Mexico venture that provides an environment for creative interaction as well as the exchange of ideas, knowledge, and methods within the Mathematical Sciences, with related disciplines and with industry. The research station is located at The Banff Centre in Alberta and is supported by Canada's Natural Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and Alberta's Technology and Innovation.