Charles Wolgemuth uses theoretical, computational, and experimental methods to determine the mechanisms by which cells produce the force necessary to create and maintain their shape, grow, and move. These processes play fundamental roles during the development of an organism and during the progression of and immune response to disease. For example, nerve axons spread to make new connections in the developing brain, fibroblasts crawl during wound healing, metastatic cancer cells migrate to invade distant parts of the body, bacteria swim during infection, and neutrophils chemotact to track down pathogens. All of these motions rely on a cohesive integration of biochemical reactions driving biophysical responses. The overarching goal of my research is to determine the mechanisms that cells use to accomplish these ends and to explore the broad consequences of these mechanisms