Cancer cells in flow: particle-based modeling

Cells have complex mechanical properties which have proven to be important in many biological processes, requiring detailed models to give an insight into the cell rheology. We developed particle-based mesoscale computational model that is suitable for modeling of cells with wide range of viscoelastic properties and, at the same time, computationally efficient to be employed to large and complex flow domains. The cell model comprises three main components: cell membrane, cytoskeleton and nucleus. The model was calibrated using micropipette aspiration experiment data. Its performance was tested using microfluidics experiment simulations. Applications in simulations of MCF-7, MDA-MB-231 and isolated circulating tumor cells will be presented.