An asymptotic comparison of two models of fat metabolism
- When?
- Tuesday 11 May 2010, 12:00 to 13:00
- Where?
- 24AA04
- Open to:
- Staff, Students
- Speaker:
- Marcus Tindall
Abstract: The regulation of dietary fats is controlled by the production and uptake of lipoprotein particles by the liver. Such particles consist of a combination of cholesterol and triglyceride esters. The particle content of these is important – particles with high cholesterol, but reduced triglyceride, content can remain in the blood stream becoming the precursors for the formation of coronary artery disease.
We have recently developed two nonlinear ODE models of in vitro lipoprotein endocytosis, the process of particle uptake by hepatocyte (liver) cells. One explicitly accounts for cell surface receptors being housed on the cell surface, whilst the other assumes a continuum of receptors covers the cell surfaces. In this talk I will compare and contrast these models, demonstrating how various asymptotic limits involved in the timescales of events during endocytosis are important. The talk will conclude with a look at how our in vitro models can be extrapolated to examining in vivo issues in future work.
