Particle Based Simuation of the Assembly and Mechanical Remodeling of Vascular Network

Using particle based simulation, we model the formation of preliminary vascular networks from individual endothelial cells during embryogenic development. During this process, also known as vasculogenesis, endothelial cells along with a myriad of other primitive cells form the primary vascular networks in presence of growth factors. This then acts as the foundation for the latter stages of vascular development. We show that single cell level properties like cell adhesion, contact inhibition of locomotion and response to mechanical stresses can affect network topology and the distribution of stresses within the network. We show that these features play important roles in network remodeling and maturation. We then compare our results with experiments and find single cell properties that produce efficient and robust vascular networks.