A three-dimensional model for ciliary motion based on the internal 9+2 structure
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Updated: Sep 20, 2026

Observation of the Ciliary Movement of Choroid Plexus Epithelial Cells Ex Vivo
Published on: July 13, 2015
1Department of Mathematics, University of Haifa, Israel. shay@math.haifa.ac.il
Abstract:
Here we present, to our knowledge, the first modelling platform that enables simulations of three-dimensional (3D) motion of multicilia arrays at a detailed level. It consists of three building blocks: (i) geometric equations for tracking the 3D motion of the cilia, (ii) a hydrodynamic description of the ciliary system, and (iii) model equations for the internal bend generating based on the 9 + 2 structure. The model generates seemingly realistic 3D beat patterns and demonstrates metachronal coordination that evolves autonomously as a result of the hydrodynamic coupling between the cilia. We study the effect of the twisting motion within the cilia and propose a conjecture on a possible role of the radial spokes system.
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