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Traction Microscopy Integrated with Microfluidics for Chemotactic Collective Migration
Published on: October 13, 2019
A Mathematical Model for Chemo-Mechanically Induced Collective Cell Motility on Planar Elastic Substrates
Riham K Ahmed1, Tamer Abdalrahman1, Neil H Davies2
1Biomedical Engineering Research Centre, Division of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Human Biology, University of Cape Town, Observatory, South Africa.
Summary
This study models how cells move together using both mechanical forces and chemical signals. The mathematical model predicts collective cell motility influenced by growth factors and substrate mechanics.
Area of Science:
- Biophysics
- Mathematical Biology
- Cellular Mechanics
Background:
- Cells respond to mechanical and chemical environmental cues.
- Understanding collective cell motility is crucial for biological processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a mathematical model for combined chemically and mechanically induced collective cell motility.
- To simulate cell movement on planar substrates influenced by growth factors and mechanical forces.
Main Methods:
- Simulated mechanically induced motility using strain energy density gradients from cellular traction forces.
- Applied Green's function and Duhamel's principle to solve the diffusion equation for growth factor distribution.
- Modeled chemo-mechanically induced deterministic collective cell motility.
Main Results:
- Predicted chemically induced cell motility towards a growth factor source.
- Explored chemo-mechanical cues with varying growth factor production and diffusion rates.
- Described chemo-mechanically induced motility of individual cells and small groups.
Conclusions:
- The developed model accurately describes chemo-mechanically induced collective cell motility.
- The model offers insights for in vivo and in vitro studies.
- The model is extensible to various chemical source configurations and soluble concentration gradients.
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