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AKB: Biologische Physik

AKB 40: Poster Session II

AKB 40.25: Poster

Wednesday, March 29, 2006, 16:30–19:30, P3

Modelling cell-population growth of in-vitro monolayers — •Michael Block¹, Dirk Drasdo², and Eckehard Schöll¹ — ¹Institut für Theoretische Physik, Technische Universität Berlin, Hardenbergstr. 36, 10623 Berlin — ²IZBI University Leipzig, Härtelstrasse 16-18, 04107 Leipzig, Germany

Which mechanisms determine the growth kinetics and phenotypes of tumors is still largely unknown and - due to unknown influences - can even in cell cultures often not be clearly re-solved. We here present computer simulations of growing monolayers that permit a systematic analysis of the effect of migration, cell-cell adhesion, apoptosis, the cell cycle time distribution, biomechanical influences, mutations and medium properties on the bulk and surface growth dynamics. For this purpose we consider a kinetic Monte Carlo approach on a random lattice on which, as we explicitly show, lattice artifacts are eliminated. The model is calibrated according to off-lattice models that represent kinetic and bio-physical parameters explicitly ([1]). We compare our simulation results quantitatively with experimental findings by Bru et. al. ([2]), propose alternative mechanisms for their explanation and predict how it may be possible to distinguish between them by suitable experiments.

[1] Drasdo, D. and Höhme, St., Phys. Biol. 2, 133-147 (2005).

[2] Bru et al., Biophys J. 85, 2948-61 (2003).