Spreading mechanics and differentiation of astrocytes during retinal development

In embryonic development, formation of the retinal vasculature is  critically dependent on prior establishment of a mesh of astrocytes.  
Astrocytes emerge from the optic nerve head and then migrate over the retinal surface in a radially symmetric manner and mature through 
differentiation.  We develop a PDE model describing the migration and  differentiation of astrocytes, and numerical simulations are compared to 
experimental data to assist in elucidating the mechanisms responsible for the distribution of astrocytes via parameter analysis. This is joint 
work with Timothy Secomb.