The use of computer simulation in the design and analysis of cell proliferation experiments

The simulation language CELLSIM is used to model a population of cells undergoing proliferation, death and migration. It is shown that standard analytical methods can successfully describe the system in its unperturbed state, but may be considerably in error if the system has recently been subjected to cytotoxic insult. It is suggested that laboratory experiments should be performed on perturbed systems only if simulations have shown that the methods of data analysis will be satisfactorily powerful and accurate.