Institute for Biology, Engineering and Medicine (I-BEAM)

Ian Wong and Jay Tang Featured as Speakers at Jamming in Biological Systems Workshop

Professors Ian Wong and Jay Tang were invited speakers at a workshop on Jamming in Biological Systems from August 6-17, hosted by the Chinese Academy of Sciences - Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, organized by Fangfu Ye (Chinese Academy of Sciences) and Corey O'Hern (Yale University).

Seven scholars pose in front of Chinese-style gates
Ian Wong (3rd from left) and Jay Tang (3rd from right) visited Peking University's West Gate as part of their trip to China to speak at the&Jamming in Biological Systems&workshop.

Leading professors from all over the world including MIT, Northwestern University, Peking University, Tsinghua University, University of Cambridge, Yale University, and others presented their latest research, covering a wide range of interdisciplinary fields across biology and physics. Major scientific questions regarding dense packing and jamming in biological systems were discussed across multiple length scales - proteins, cells, and tissues. Focus topics included dense packing in protein cores, computational modeling of tissues and tumors, wound healing, epithelial-mesenchymal transitions, cell locomotion and spreading, swarming bacteria, and biological self-assembly processes. An improved understanding of these topics could advance the fundamental understanding of non-equilibrium biological processes in a physical context, with potential applications in human development and disease.