Models at the single cell level

Many cellular behaviors cannot be completely captured or appropriately described at the cell population level. Noise induced by stochastic chemical reactions, spatially polarized signaling networks, and heterogeneous cell-cell communication are among the many phenomena that require fine-grained analysis. Accordingly, the mathematical models used to describe such systems must be capable of single cell or subcellular resolution. Here, we review techniques for modeling single cells, including models of stochastic chemical kinetics, spatially heterogeneous intracellular signaling, and spatial stochastic systems. We also briefly discuss applications of each type of model.