Modeling the Locomotion of the African Trypanosome

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Holger Stark
• Subject Area: Fluid Mechanics ; Statistical Physics, Nonlinear Dynamics, Complex Systems, Soft and Fluid Matter, Biological Physics ; Theoretical Chemistry: Molecules, Materials, Surfaces
• Term: from 2011 to 2016
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 193560768

Nature provides microorganisms with a wealth of ingenious solutions thatenable them to move through a fluid environment without using inertia.The strategies developed have relevance not only in biology, but alsoin medical and technological applications. The microorganism African trypanosome swims with the help of a beating filament, known as flagellum, that is firmly attached to the elongated cell body.There has recently been strong experimental evidence that the fluid flowinitiated by swimming is intimately linked with the ability of the trypanosome to evade the immune system. Since the trypanosome is the cause of sleeping sickness in humans, there is immense interest in investigating all details of the organism's lifecycle. In the preceding two years of this project, we have developed a model for the African trypanosome including a combination of straight and helical attachment of the actuating flagellum. With the model trypanosome we are able to simulate realistic swimming patterns and locomotion in narrow microchannels by treating the fluid environment with the help of the mesoscopic method of multi-particle collision dynamics. In the remaining third year we plan tostudy the behavior of the trypanosome under different experimental situations.In particular, we will look at locomotion in a model viscoelastic environment whichserves as a first approach for blood vessels filled with blood cells. Finally, we also aim at a first study of the collective motion of trypanosomes.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants