Time lapse sequence with model prediction (red line) and spreading tissue

The “MechMorpho Lab” at the University of Pittsburgh has been studying morphogenesis of an aquatic frog to understand how wound healing takes place.  Since the embryonic tissue spreading is an environment where random variables lend themselves to Approximate Bayesian Computation (ABC), the researchers used that analytical approach for measuring development from time-lapse images.  Such time-lapse data contains a wealth of information describing both the structures involved in morphogenesis and their kinematics; this information can serve as the input for computational models that allow us to explore the biological and biophysical principles of morphogenesis and to predict the behavior of cells and tissues under a variety of perturbations.”  Oddly, ABC has its roots in the late 19^th century eugenics movement.   MORE

Image Credit: MechMorpho Lab/University of Pittsburgh