Till Steiner, Markus Olhofer, Bernhard Sendhoff, "Towards shape and structure optimization with evolutionary development", Proceedings of the ALife X: The Tenth International Conference on the Simulation and Synthesis of Living Systems, pp. 70-76, 2006.

We present an approach to model an artificial developmental system based on cells that interact through gene regulatory networks for shape or structure optimization.Cell differentiation is accomplished by positional information provided by transcription factors that diffuse inside a simulated environment. Different actions such as cell division, apoptosis and cell-cell communication are implemented. The system is applied to a simple target shape optimization problem. We show that our model has the ability to form stable patterns of the transcription factors, comparable to patterns found in biological systems. We believe that stable patterns of the transcription factors are a prerequisite for stable and controlled growth which in turn is required for shape or structure optimization.