Mathematical modelling at the junction of math, medicine, and life science: An interview with Professor Sungrim Seirin-Lee of Kyoto University

With the development of increasingly more powerful computing and its potential in a wide range of fields, the use modelling is on the rise across a number of academic disciplines. Two fields where this can be seen clearly are life and medical science. From analysis of biological fields such as the development of primordial germ cells or cell migration during early development to medical issues such as cancer development, immunology or the progression of skin diseases, the potential application of mathematics to these fields appears limitless.

One researcher pioneering research into these topics is Professor Sungrim Seirin-Lee, who goes by Seirin in Japan, a Korean national undertaking her research at Kyoto University's Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Biology (ASHBi). She took the time to speak with us about her experiences as a researcher in Japan, her work in mathematics, biology and medicine, the importance of international brain circulation and the future prospects in her field.

A journey from pure mathematics to the intersection of life and medical sciences

Seirin was born and raised in Korea, where she completed her schooling and both undergraduate and master's studies in mathematics at Pusan National University. However, it was not academics that initially brought her to Japan, but family, as she met her husband while studying in Korea and returned to his home country. The first four years of her journey abroad were spent acclimating to life in Japan, learning the language and looking after the family home. It was during her daily life here that the spark for her interest in the life sciences was born. "I came across a number of lectures and speeches by Japanese mathematicians who were linking the work of the famous British mathematician Alan Turing to the field of biology. Turing's theory is incredibly beautiful, and I was deeply impressed by the idea of explaining biological phenomena through mathematics. From this I wanted to study the field of pattern formation in mathematical modeling"

She decided to conduct further research to pursue this goal and obtained a JSPS scholarship to undertake a PhD course at Okayama University, studying Environmental Science. Seirin was a diligent scholar, as evidenced again and again later in her career, and quickly completed the course obtaining her PhD in only two years. Despite the short time frame, she also managed to find time to study abroad at Oxford University in the UK during her scholarship period. She noted that Professor Philip K. Maini of the Wolfson Centre for Mathematical Biology in the Mathematical Institute had a strong impact on her studies during her time there, with his attitude of 'undertaking the research that he wanted to study' continuing to influence her even today.

She followed this up with postdoctoral research, obtaining another JSPS scholarship as a research fellow, where she experienced a wide variety of environments. It is very easy to liken this period to the fairytale "Goldilocks." She started out at the Graduate School of Mathematical Sciences at the University of Tokyo, but it was highly focused on pure mathematics. Thus, she moved to the Center for Developmental Biology at RIKEN but found that this went too far the other way and was heavily focused on Biology. She took some time away following this to welcome the birth of her first child and then returned to study at Hiroshima University. When she undertook research there she found that it was the 'just right' mix of mathematics and biology and was where she completed her postdoctoral position.

This was followed by a faculty role at the same university beginning in 2014, and again Seirin quickly advanced her career, moving into a position as an associate professor in 2017 and finally as a professor in 2020. The following year she was offered a position to head her own lab at ASHBi, and moved to Kyoto University where she has been undertaking her research into mathematical biology and medicine ever since. Ever the diligent researcher, she took up a concurrent position at the Graduate School of Medicine at the same university in 2023 and has also found time to get involved with other research projects, such as those funded through JST's CREST and PRESTO research programs.

"The unlimited possibilities for mathematics in clinical medicine."

Mathematical biology refers to the field of research that aims to achieve mathematical representation and modelling of biological processes. In simpler terms, it uses models and numbers to represent the processes and developments happening in living things. In medicine, this extends to modeling of diseases and other clinical issues. One example here is prediction of symptoms and disease progression.

When asked about her specific research field, Seirin expanded on the wide scope of her studies. "I am currently involved in a wide range of projects, such as molecular and cellular development, population dynamics and geometric analysis of skin eruptions. I am also undertaking projects in clinical medicine using modelling. There are unlimited possibilities for using math in clinical medicine." She has a varied range of interests and is applying her background in mathematics to solving issues across life and medical sciences. The key link to her current research topics is that they all involve human disease, such as kidney and skin disease and immunological modelling. This doesn't mean that she has stopped all research in biology. She commented that she was still doing work on high level models for developmental biology, creating 3D models of cells and creating new modelling methods to align with the needs of the field.

One of the biggest challenges that Seirin has faced is the differing expectations between the fields of biology and medicine. Traditional math and science seek to understand the 'why' of things, and the underlying concepts behind them. This means that study and analysis seek to understand the reason behind a particular phenomenon and the goal is to be able to replicate the steps that lead to that outcome. However, the field of medicine has a different objective in mind. Physicians in the field are more focused on the health-based outcomes provided by medicines and other treatments. It is much harder to know dynamics in this field as, understandably, human based experiments must follow strict regulations or, in many cases, cannot be performed at all.

In terms of other issues related to the field, such as AI, Seirin stated that "It is used occasionally, but we are working on the problems that it can't solve. There is only a small subset of prior data, which is too small for AI to use as training data. The biggest problem is communication. The lack of data and the difference in objectives between scientists, physicians and industry professionals mean that there are still walls between industry and academia at seminars and other events." This is an area that she said she wants to target going forward. She also maintains a strong relationship with Oxford University, and Ohio State University in the US and hopes to continue collaborating with them into the future.

On International Brain Circulation

Seirin has spent time as a researcher in both Japan and the UK and shared her thoughts on how both countries operate. "It has been too long since I was in Korea, and it has changed too much to give my opinion but the biggest difference between the UK and Japan is how people collaborate. In the UK researchers from unrelated fields often have casual chats about their research that lead to collaboration. In Japan it is much more structured and harder to organize meetings unless the researchers have a concrete idea about a collaboration. But once you learn the communication style here it becomes much easier to find partners."

Seirin also shared some challenges that came with living and working in Japan. "The biggest thing was coming to accept that I would be living as a foreigner forever. The culture was very different to what I grew up with, and making my own identity in Japan was important." She spent a lot of her time studying the language, meeting and befriending locals and making an effort to be involved with the local culture, which she said was a large part of helping her succeed here.

Regarding Japan as a research base, Seirin highlighted a number of points. "Japan has a lot of 'Otaku' researchers (otaku meaning someone obsessed with a particular aspect of popular culture), who are very interested in their own unique research field. In Japan it is very easy to do the research you want to do, and a lot of freedom is given to scientists to pursue the topics they want to investigate." This contrasts with a lot of other countries, where research grants and funding are often given on the condition that research will focus on a specific area of interest. This point can be seen in the high number of ig Noble prizes that have been won by Japanese Scientists.

As mentioned earlier, ASHBi itself is another drawcard. "ASHBi is a very international center and supports its foreign staff members well. All of the Administrative staff work in English which makes it very easy for foreign lab members." said Seirin. The institute is a big draw for foreign researchers, especially the seminars and events that it holds. One current lab member, enticed by the international atmosphere at a seminar, immediately applied following the event and now works as a postdoc. The institute's foreign staff and Japan mutually benefit from the international environment and cutting-edge technology, and it serves as a wonderful example of the benefits of international brain circulation.

Seirin also had some advice for researchers looking to get into the field of mathematical biology and medicine, "Do what makes you feel happy, try to undertake the research that you want to do, and learn from the senior researchers around you, and the spirit and philosophy by which they do their research. Then apply that to your own research when you get the chance." She extended this advice to those hoping to participate in international brain circulation in Japan. "Learn Japanese! Go out and interact with locals and learn the culture. It will help you when interacting with them in your professional life as well. There are so many excellent "otaku" researchers in Japan, and I want to become an otaku researcher too! There is a lot of freedom in Japan to undertake the research you want to do." Her words serve to highlight the benefits of an international research environment and brain circulation, and also as a good example for those looking to get involved in research in Japan.

Modelling the future of mathematical biology and medicine

Looking into the future, Seirin said she had a wide range of areas she would like to focus on. "I will be at Kyoto University, trying my best to advance mathematical modelling and dermatology, but I am also very interested in getting involved in start-ups and spin-offs related to my research." There were a wide range of projects that she touched on, particularly those focused on elucidating systems for disease treatment. These were particularly focused on future industry-academia collaborations, with one project even including a collaboration seminar between ASHBi and Pfizer.

In terms of future technologies related to her field, Seirin felt that it was the fusion of mathematical science and data science for life science, more than any particular technology, which would drive innovation in the field. "I expect that there will be a shift away from a fusion of basic biological science with mathematical modelling more towards a broader fusion of basic biological science and clinical medicine with mathematical and data sciences. A new wave of data science will have a significant impact going forward."

Her attitude towards pursuing research goals, cooperation and guidance towards her students and keen interest in further international activities are all key factors as to why Seirin has been so successful across three connected, but very different, fields. We have high expectations going forward, and hope to read more about her findings in mathematical biology and medicine in the future.

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