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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 21, 2026

Modeling and Imaging 3-Dimensional Collective Cell Invasion

Modeling and Imaging 3-Dimensional Collective Cell Invasion

Published on: December 7, 2011

Interacting active surfaces: A model for three-dimensional cell aggregates.

Alejandro Torres-Sánchez¹, Max Kerr Winter¹, Guillaume Salbreux^1,2

¹Theoretical Physics of Biology laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom.

Plos Computational Biology

|December 16, 2022

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

We developed a 3D simulation framework for cell aggregates, modeling cell mechanics and interactions. This tool aids in understanding how cell mechanics influence tissue development in embryos and organoids.

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Published on: July 11, 2025

Area of Science:

Computational Biology
Biophysics
Developmental Biology

Background:

Cell aggregates are crucial for embryonic development and organoid formation.
Understanding the physical forces governing cell interactions is key to tissue morphogenesis.

Purpose of the Study:

To introduce a novel 3D modeling and simulation framework for cell aggregates.
To provide a computational tool for exploring cell-to-tissue scale mechanics.

Main Methods:

Developed a framework based on interacting active surfaces to model cell aggregates in 3D.
Incorporated physical descriptions of acto-myosin cortex, including cortical flows, viscous forces, active tensions, and bending moments.
Utilized a finite element method for model discretization and a parallel C++ implementation for efficient computation.

Main Results:

Demonstrated the framework's application to cell doublets, planar cell sheets, and growing cell aggregates.
Successfully simulated shape and dynamics of various small to medium-sized cell aggregates.
Validated the framework's capability to capture complex cellular mechanical behaviors.

Conclusions:

The developed framework enables systematic exploration of cell aggregate mechanics.
Provides insights into the physical basis of morphogenesis in biological systems like embryos and organoids.
Opens new avenues for computational research in tissue engineering and developmental biology.