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Modeling and Simulation of Soft Contact and Adhesion of Stem Cells

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2011

Shaofan Li  and
Xiaowei Zeng
Shaofan Li
Affiliation:
shaofan@berkeley.edu
Xiaowei Zeng
Affiliation:
xwzeng@berkeley.eduUniversity of Californiaof Civil and Environmental Engineering, Berkeley, California, United States
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Abstract

In this paper, we briefly report our recent work on multiscale modeling and simulations of soft elasticity and focal adhesion of stem cells. In particular, our work is focused on modeling and simulation of contact and adhesion of stem cells on substrates with different rigidities. In order to understand the precise mechanical influences on cell contact/adhesion and to explain the possible mechanotransduction mechanism, we have developed a three-dimensional soft-matter cell model that uses liquid-crystal gel or liquid-crystal elastomer gel to model the overall constitutive relations of the cell, and we have simulated the responses of the cell to extra-cellular stimulus. The discussion here is specifically focused on the following issues: (1) how to model the overall myosin responses at the early stage of differentiation process of the stem cell, (2) the effects of both the adhesive force due to ligand-receptor interaction or focal adhesion and the surface tension, and (3) possible cell conformation and configuration changes triggered by substrate's rigidity.

Keywords

adhesionbiologicalliquid crystal
Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 1274: Symposium QQ – Biological Materials and Structures in Physiologically Extreme Conditions and Disease , 2010 , 1274-QQ02-02
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2010

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