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A Mouse Model of Lumbar Spine Instability
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Fingering instabilities in tissue invasion: an active fluid model.
Michał J Bogdan1, Thierry Savin1
1Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
Royal Society Open Science
|January 22, 2019
Summary
This study presents a minimalist fluid model explaining how self-propelled, growing tumors invade surrounding tissues through finger-like protrusions. The model predicts tumor metastasis onset and invasive finger formation based on mechanical factors.
Area of Science:
- Biophysics
- Mathematical Biology
- Cancer Research
Background:
- Metastatic tumors invade adjacent tissues via multicellular, finger-like protrusions.
- Understanding the mechanical forces driving tumor invasion is crucial for cancer research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a minimalist fluid model for self-propelled, growing biological tissues.
- To analyze the mechanical context behind tumor invasion and fingering instabilities.
Main Methods:
- Development of a minimalist fluid model with four mechanical parameters.
- Analytical tracking of the model in various settings.
- Simulation of a 2D circular droplet of active, expanding fluid in a passive tissue.
Main Results:
- The model explains the propensity of tumor tissues to exhibit fingering instabilities.
- Instability is conditioned by active traction magnitude and growth kinetics.
- Predictions are derived for tumor size at metastasis onset and invasive finger number.
Conclusions:
- The active fluid model provides insights into tumor metastasis mechanisms.
- The model can potentially describe other biological processes like wound healing and developmental patterning.
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