Evaluating the Dynamics and Interplay of Active and Passive Intercellular Transport

Understanding the cytoskeleton allows us to understand the nature of active matter. We are interested in the transportation of cargo through the cytoskeleton, specifically through active transport and passive transport, and the interplay between the two. Both active and passive transport facilitates the diffusion of important biomaterials, such as vesicles, that move vital cargo to and from organelles. We aim to model this transport by creating a composite network of actin, myosin, and microtubules in different ratios, and then we will track the flow of the sample by adding fluorescent beads that can be imaged. Finally, using particle tracking software, we will create a vector field model of the movement of the beads. Using multiple ratios of the composite network will allow us to evaluate the relationship of sample density to flow in a simple, model system of the cytoskeleton.