Discrete and continuous approaches to modeling cell movement in the presence of a foreign stimulus

Authored by Alicia Prieto-Langarica, Hristo V Kojouharov, Benito M Chen-Charpentier

Date Published: 2012

DOI: 10.1016/j.camwa.2011.11.058

Sponsors: No sponsors listed

Platforms: No platforms listed

Model Documentation: Other Narrative Mathematical description

Model Code URLs: Model code not found

Abstract

Cell movement is a complex process. Cells can move in response to a foreign stimulus in search of nutrients, to escape predation, and for other reasons. Mathematical modeling of cell movement is needed to aid in achieving a deeper understanding of vital processes such as embryogenesis, angiogenesis, tumor metastasis, and immune reactions to foreign bodies. In this work we consider cell movement that can be separated into two parts: one part is in direct response to a stimulus and the other is due to uncertainties and other reasons for the movement. In order to deal with the deterministic and random aspects of cell movement, an individual based model is created to simulate cells moving in the presence of heterogeneously distributed stimulus molecules. The model is then upscaled, starting with an analysis of the transition probabilities of individuals at each site, to obtain a continuous partial differential equation model. Finally, the two models are numerically compared to each other for a variety of different parameter values. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Tags
Reinforced random-walks