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Cell migration is a process by which the cells move from one location to another, playing an essential role in embryological development, repair and regeneration, immune response, and metastasis. Cells migrate in response to chemical or mechanical signals generated by specific organs or tissues. The overall mechanism includes three steps - polarization, protrusion, and release. Polarization involves the formation of a distinct cell front and rear, which determines the direction of movement.
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Traction Microscopy Integrated with Microfluidics for Chemotactic Collective Migration
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Continuum Models of Collective Cell Migration.

Shiladitya Banerjee1, M Cristina Marchetti2

  • 1University College London, London, UK. shiladitya.banerjee@ucl.ac.uk.

Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology
|October 16, 2019
PubMed
Summary

This review explores how physical forces drive collective cell migration in development and disease. Models from soft matter physics reveal how cells coordinate movement and tissue structure through mechanical and biochemical feedback.

Keywords:
Active matterCell mechanicsCell migrationContinuum modellingTissue mechanics

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Area of Science:

  • * Biophysics
  • * Developmental Biology
  • * Cell Biology

Background:

  • * Collective cell migration is crucial for tissue development, repair, and cancer.
  • * Physical forces are increasingly recognized as key regulators of cell motility.
  • * Understanding how cells generate forces on multicellular scales is a critical biological question.

Purpose of the Study:

  • * To review recent advances in modeling collective cell migration.
  • * To highlight quantitative tools and approaches from soft matter physics.
  • * To explain how mechanical forces and biochemistry integrate for collective cell behavior.

Main Methods:

  • * Theoretical modeling of cell aggregates as continuous active media.
  • * Applying soft matter physics principles to collective cell migration.
  • * Analyzing the feedback between mechanical forces and regulatory biochemistry.

Main Results:

  • * Models reveal rich collective dynamical behavior arising from force-biochemistry feedback.
  • * Collective cell migration can be quantitatively modeled as a fluid-like process.
  • * Cells can transition from migration to stiffening for tissue cohesion.

Conclusions:

  • * Soft matter physics models offer a predictive framework for collective cell migration.
  • * Understanding these dynamics is vital for comprehending developmental processes.
  • * This approach aids in studying how tissues form, repair, and respond to disease.