Dynamics Club
Launched in Jan 2022, Dynamics Club is a UCLA-based forum for junior scientists to discuss nonlinear dynamics in biology and physiology. Starting from Fall 2024, this is also the home for the Interoception Dynamics Affinity Group.
Our monthly seminars are mostly on Zoom, with hybrid access to in-person events. Campus visits are made possible by the Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology (IBP), Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences (QCBio) and Brain Research Institute (BRI).
Currently, we have 306 members. If you’re new, sign up here!
Job opportunities:
- A postdoctoral position is available with Dr. Natalie Porat-Shliom at NIH/NCI (Microscopy).
- A postdoctoral position is available with Dr. Paul François at Université de Montréal (Details).
- A postdoctoral position is available with Dr. Russell Rockne at City of Hope (Details).
Key References (PDFs are available online):
Modeling Life by Alan Garfinkel, Jane Shetsov and Yina Guo (Teaching Materials)
Interoception Dynamics in January:
Imaging cAMP Signaling Dynamics in the Heart: Exploring Sympathetic Responses in Real Time
Speaker: Jessica Caldwell, PhD (Postdoctoral Scholar; UC Davis)
Date and Time: Jan 22 (Wed) at 11am Pacific Time / 2pm Eastern Time
Virtual event on Zoom (Meeting ID: 943 5316 3896; Passcode: 181904)
Abstract:
cAMP signaling plays a central role in how the heart responds to sympathetic stimulation, fine-tuning cellular activity to maintain function during stress. While much of our understanding comes from studies on isolated cells, my work focuses on capturing these dynamics in the intact heart, where spatial organization and tissue-level interactions are critical for normal function. Using a cutting-edge optical imaging platform and transgenic mice with a cardiac-specific FRET-based cAMP biosensor, my work reveals how cAMP dynamics vary across regions of the whole heart in real-time. This approach has uncovered striking sex-specific differences in cAMP signaling and how these variations contribute to arrhythmogenesis in heart failure. In this talk, I’ll highlight how advanced imaging offers insights into how signaling heterogeneity contributes to cardiac health and disease.
Scheduled Sessions:
| Date | Topic | Speaker(s) |
| Feb 7 | Parallel neural pathways control sodium consumption and taste valence | Yameng Zhang (Caltech) |
| Mar 5 | Temporal regulation of gene expression through integration of p53 dynamics and modifications | Dr. Dan Lu (Harvard Medical School) |
| Mar 19 | Exploring the developmental roles of glia in the heart | Dr. Sarah Light (Notre Dame) |
| Apr | Detecting patterns and disruptions in spontaneous physiological fluctuations in the kidney using MRI | Dr. Edwin Baldelomar (Washington University in St. Louis) |
Past Events in 2024
| Date | Topic | Speaker(s) | Materials |
| Jan 10 | Optimal transport in single-cell genomics with moscot | Dominik Klein (Theis Lab; Helmholtz Munich) | Preprint |
| Feb 12 | Context-dependent regulation of lipid accumulation in adipocytes by a HIF1a-PPARg feedback network | Dr. Michael Zhao (EMBL) | PubMed |
| Mar 20 | A bioelectrical phase transition patterns the first vertebrate heartbeats | Bill Jia (Cohen/Megason Lab; Harvard) | PubMed |
| Apr 24 | Modeling inter-individual differences in circadian timekeeping based on wrist-wearable data | Dr. Ruby Kim (University of Michigan) | |
| May 24 | Guest lecture: What do elevated levels of albumin in urine mean? | Dr. Aurelie Edwards (Boston University) | PubMed |
| May 29 | Matching a network model of the yeast cell cycle to multiple dynamic behaviors of mutant datasets | Dr. Breschine Cummins (Montana State University) | PubMed |
| Jun 4 | M&M Seminar: p53 dynamics in single cells | Dr. Eric Batchelor (University of Minnesota) | |
| Jun 19 | Uncovering macrophage phenotype transitions using a stochastic modeling framework | Dr. Anna-Simone J. Frank (University of Bergen) | PubMed |
| Jul 10 | Blood pressure pulsations modulate central neuronal activity via mechanosensitive ion channels | Dr. Luna Jammal Salameh (University of Regensburg) | PubMed |
| Aug 20 | Emergence of large-scale cell death through ferroptotic trigger waves | Hannah K. C. Co (Chen Lab; Academia Sinica) | PubMed |
| Sep 25 | What can Hydra teach us about the role of spontaneous neural activity? | Dr. Alison Hanson (Columbia University) | PubMed |
| Oct 16 | Decoding cellular and signaling dynamics: building and disrupting tissue architecture | Dr. Tianchi Xin (Yale School of Medicine) | PubMed |
| Oct 28 | Charting the universal bifurcation structure of neurons and its connection to network synchronization | Dr. Janina Hesse (Leibniz Institute for Resilience, Mainz) | PubMed |
| Nov 22 | S2C Seminar: A dynamical perspective on the origin of nervous systems | Dr. Ann Kennedy (Scripps Research Institute) | |
| Dec 11 | Nonlinear dynamics of pattern formation and of oscillator synchronization during embryonic development | Dr. Laurent Jutras-Dubé (Rockefeller University) |
Past Events in 2023
Past Events in 2022