Multiscale modeling of cell mechanics and tissue organization

Abstract

Nowadays, experimental biology gathers a large number of molecular and genetic data to understand the processes in living systems. Many of these data are evaluated on the level of cells, resulting in a changed phenotype of cells. Tools are required to translate the information on the cellular scale to the whole tissue, where multiple interacting cell types are involved. Agent-based modeling allows the investigation of properties emerging from the collective behavior of individual units. A typical agent in biology is a single cell that transports information from the intracellular level to larger scales. Mainly, two scales are relevant: changes in the dynamics of the cell, e.g. surface properties, and secreted molecules that can have effects at a distance larger than the cell diameter.