A cellular automata model of bone formation
Authored by Alicia Prieto-Langarica, Scoy Gabrielle K Van, Estee L George, Flora Opoku Asantewaa, Lucy Kerns, Marnie M Saunders
Date Published: 2017
DOI: 10.1016/j.mbs.2017.02.001
Sponsors:
United States National Institutes of Health (NIH)
United States National Science Foundation (NSF)
Platforms:
No platforms listed
Model Documentation:
Other Narrative
Model Code URLs:
Model code not found
Abstract
Bone remodeling is an elegantly orchestrated process by which
osteocytes, osteoblasts and osteoclasts function as a syncytium to
maintain or modify bone. On the microscopic level, bone consists of
cells that create, destroy and monitor the bone matrix. These cells
interact in a coordinated manner to maintain a tightly regulated
homeostasis. It is this regulation that is responsible for the observed
increase in bone gain in the dominant arm of a tennis player and the
observed increase in bone loss associated with spaceflight and
osteoporosis. The manner in which these cells interact to bring about a
change in bone quality and quantity has yet to be fully elucidated. But
efforts to understand the multicellular complexity can ultimately lead
to eradication of metabolic bone diseases such as osteoporosis and
improved implant longevity. Experimentally validated mathematical models
that simulate functional activity and offer eventual predictive
capabilities offer tremendous potential in understanding multicellular
bone remodeling. Here we undertake the initial challenge to develop a
mathematical model of bone formation validated with in vitro data
obtained from osteoblastic bone cells induced to mineralize and
quantified at 26 days of culture. A cellular automata model was
constructed to simulate the in vitro characterization. Permutation tests
were performed to compare the distribution of the mineralization in the
cultures and the distribution of the mineralization in the mathematical
models. The results of the permutation test show the distribution of
mineralization from the characterization and mathematical model come
from the same probability distribution, therefore validating the
cellular automata model. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Tags
Agent-based model
Cellular automata
Bone
Bone formation
Osteoblast
Mathematical models of bone formation
Permutation tests