In a new preprint with the Gelens lab, we go back to the basics and study what are arguably some of the most elementary models for biological oscillators. Periodic phenomena lie at the basis of many important processes - think of the circadian clock or the cell division cycle. Many of these oscillators are generated by a time-delayed negative feedback loop. In the paper, we perform a mathematical analysis of simple delay equations that implement two ways in which the feedback may act: on a production step or on a degradation step. We use classic techniques to study the linear stability of these delay equations, and extract interesting mathematical results and some biological principles. The work was done together with Sarah Verplaetse, who did her Master's thesis work at KU Leuven on this topic.

Find the preprint on bioRxiv.