Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 7, 2025
08:32
Author Spotlight: Advancing Tendon Research by Developing Mouse Assembloids to Understand Cellular Mechanisms
Published on: March 22, 2024
1.0K
An agent-based model of tissue maintenance and self-repair
Jason H T Bates1, Jacob Herrmann2, Dylan T Casey1,3
1Department of Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, United States.
American Journal of Physiology. Cell Physiology
|March 6, 2023
Summary
Tissue maintenance systems can self-heal if cell behavior is guided by local tissue conditions. Simple rules based on tissue density enable stable self-repair and faster healing rates following damage.
Area of Science:
- Computational biology
- Systems biology
- Tissue engineering
Background:
- Biological systems require continuous tissue maintenance to function.
- Self-healing is a critical property for organismal resilience and longevity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between tissue maintenance and self-healing capacities.
- To determine the influence of local tissue state on cell behavior for stable self-healing.
- To explore mechanisms that enhance self-healing rates.
Main Methods:
- Agent-based modeling (ABM) was employed to simulate tissue maintenance and repair.
- Simulations explored varying parameters such as agent digestion rates, tissue density, and cell movement rules.
- The model assessed the stability and efficiency of tissue self-healing under different conditions.
Main Results:
- Tissue density is robustly maintained when digestion is proportional to local density.
- Increased digestion rates or agent densities accelerate self-healing.
- Self-healing remains stable even with simple cell rules based on local tissue density.
Conclusions:
- Ongoing tissue maintenance inherently confers the capacity for self-healing.
- Cellular behavior influenced by local tissue state is fundamental for stable self-repair.
- Simple, state-dependent cellular rules can achieve basic self-healing, with tunable mechanisms for accelerated repair.
More Related Videos
08:35Generation of a Three-dimensional Full Thickness Skin Equivalent and Automated Wounding
Published on: February 26, 2015
19.1K
09:17Adult Mouse Digit Amputation and Regeneration: A Simple Model to Investigate Mammalian Blastema Formation and Intramembranous Ossification
Published on: July 12, 2019
8.9K
Related Concept Videos
01:19Overview of Regeneration and Repair
4.1K
Regeneration and repair processes are critical in healing damages caused by injury, disease, and aging. In regeneration, the damaged tissue is entirely replaced with new growth that restores the original architecture and function. In contrast, tissue repair usually results in a fixed tissue architecture involving scar formation. Scars generally do not reestablish tissue function and may also exhibit structural abnormalities at the injury site.
Regeneration
All animals have varying degrees of...
Regeneration
All animals have varying degrees of...
4.1K
01:23Tissue Renewal without Stem Cells
1.8K
After cellular or tissue damage, the resident stem cells present in the human body can locally repair and regenerate the damaged tissue or organ. However, even though some tissues do not have stem cells, they can repair and regenerate with the help of pre-existing cells. For example, beta cells of the pancreas and hepatocytes of the liver can divide to renew and regenerate the tissue. Here, both cell division and cell death are well regulated by homeostasis.
However, failure of such a system...
However, failure of such a system...
1.8K
01:12Renewal of Skin Epidermal Stem Cells
2.6K
The skin is divided into epidermis, dermis, and hypodermis, the skin's outermost, middle, and inner layers. The human epidermal layer regularly undergoes renewal, where old, dead cells are replaced by new cells. Epidermal stem cells or EpiSCs divide and differentiate to restore the lost cells. For the renewal process, some EpiSCs continuously self-renew. In contrast, few others differentiate into transit-amplifying cells, which later form prickle or spinous cells, followed by granular...
2.6K
01:28Phases of Wound Repair
6.1K
Following injury, the integrity of the injured tissues must be reestablished. For example, in skin tissue, wound repair involves coordination among resident skin cells, blood mononuclear cells, extracellular matrix, growth factors, and cytokines to complete the healing cascade.
Formation of Blood Clot
In case of deep injuries, trauma to blood vessels results in blood loss. In the meantime, phospholipids released from the ruptured endothelial cellular membrane are converted into arachidonic...
Formation of Blood Clot
In case of deep injuries, trauma to blood vessels results in blood loss. In the meantime, phospholipids released from the ruptured endothelial cellular membrane are converted into arachidonic...
6.1K
01:33Whole Body Regeneration
3.4K
Regeneration is the process of restoring injured or lost tissues, organs, or body parts. While simpler organisms generally show greater ability to regenerate their whole body, few complex animals show similarly exceptional regeneration. For example, planarian flatworms have a unique regenerative potential making them a popular study organism among biologists to understand the mechanisms of whole body regeneration. Other organisms, such as hydra, also show extreme regeneration potential;...
3.4K
01:26Stem Cell Niche
5.2K
The stem cell niche is the dynamic microenvironment where stem cells reside. Inside these niches, the cells may remain undifferentiated, undergo high self-renewal, or become lineage-specific progenitors. Stem cells coexist with other niche cells, such as stromal cells. They also interact closely with the ECM. Cell-cell and cell-matrix communication occur via adhesion molecules or soluble factors that signal the stem cells and determine their fate. Stromal cells also provide survival signals to...
5.2K