Mathematical and mechanical modelling of cell migration

par Dr Rachele Allena (LJAD)

lundi 6 mars 2023, 14:00 → 15:00 Europe/Paris

Cell migration plays a fundamental role in several processes such as bone remodelling, cancer, embryogenesis and immune response.
During the last decades, biologists have started exploring the role of mechanics and more specifically of forces, stresses and strains exerted and undergone by the cells during their movement. Although
important advances have been made in imaging in vitro migration,
mathematical modelling remains a very useful and powerful tool to
explore a large number of scenarios and to quantify specific parameters
of such a complex mechanobiological phenomenon.

I will present a series of mathematical models allowing to simulate cell migration in different configurations
including migration over homogeneous and heterogenous substrates, under
confinement, in presence of durotaxis or in a collective manner.
The comparison of the numerical results with the experimental
observations prove the consistency of the mechanical and mathematical
approach and makes it possible to consider the setting up of mechanotherapies.