Single cell bioscience involves analyzing dynamics of cells on the microscale. This is a complex engineering problem when single-cell chemical secretions are of interest to be measured with precision.
To this end - researchers at UCLA has developed a modern technology known as "nanovials" or "drop carrier particles" that use surface tension physics in a novel way. In this talk we will show how the mathematics and statistical mechanics of energy minimizing surfaces has been studied to present a physical theory for how such devices work and are fabricated. This research is through of a joint effort between UCLA's Mathematics Department (Bertozzi lab) and the Department of Bioengineering (Di Carlo lab), funded by the Simons Foundation Math + X program.