Cilia driven flows: Linking micro- with macroscopic dynamics

In living organisms arrays of thousands of micrometer-scale motile cilia must coordinate their activity over centimeters to generate flows. These cilia driven flows have diverse properties that are tailored to execute a wide variety of biological functions, ranging from feeding and swimming in single-cell protists to mucus clearance in humans.
In my talk I will discuss how by studying diverse cells and tissues we can gain insight into how the emergent properties of a flow are controlled by tissue, cellular and molecular scale properties of cilia. In particular, I will describe current efforts in my lab to understand how spatial organization in arrays of cilia that propel mucus determines flow topology and particle transport. I will present complementary analyses we have performed in ciliated protists to understand the origin and significance of collective cilia beating patterns, e.g. metachronal waves, observed in diverse biological contexts.
This integrated view that seeks to link the cilia scale with the macroscopic flow structure will significantly increase our understanding of the physiology of cilia arrays in vivo. Beyond their biological significance, arrays of cilia provide an accessible experimental platform to explore the multi scale physics of pattern formation mediated by hydrodynamic and mechanical interactions.