FINITE-SIZE (or ALLOMETRIC) SCALING
Kleiber's Law is one of the most well-known allometric relationships in biology. It states that the basal metabolic rate (BMR) of an organism scales with its body mass, M, according to a universal power-law BMR = aMα
Our research is focused on understanding how scaling features emerge in cell cultures, to establish design criteria for in vitro models and revealing their extent of similarity with living organisms as a benchmark of physiological relevance.
We generate virtual spheriods and organoids and use computational methods to determine metabolic rates as a function of size
Since fluctuations are ubiquitous in nature and intrinsic features of biological systems, we are also incorporating models of biological noise.
Our computational pipeline was used to identify the experimental size range of cell cultures with quantifiable similitudes, in terms of fluctuations and metabolic scaling, with living organisms.
We have validated the models in in vitro constructs, using high-precision oxygen sensors, algorithms for metabolic parameters identification and mass measurements.
The experimental and computational framework underpins the sound design of statistically meaningful in vitro models possessing translational potential, with impacts in many areas of biomedical science and ecology.
Our publications:
1. Ahluwalia, Arti, "Allometric Scaling in vitro". Scientific Reports, 7.1 (2017):1-7
Contact Info: