Dresden 2026 – wissenschaftliches Programm

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 10: Active Matter III (joint session BP/CPP/DY)

BP 10.5: Vortrag

Dienstag, 10. März 2026, 10:30–10:45, BAR/SCHÖ

Geometric control of cell migration in disordered porous media — •Laeschkir Würthner¹ and Frederik Graw² — ¹European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Germany — ²Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg and Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany

Cell migration is a dynamic process that plays a central role in development, wound healing, and immune responses. Active cell movement is controlled by several biochemical and mechanical cues, including chemokine gradients and the mechanical properties of the extracellular matrix (ECM). Although the biochemical pathways underlying directed cell motion are increasingly well understood, the influence of the porous structure of the ECM on active cell motion remains largely unexplored. Using a combination of computational modeling and theory, we investigate how active cells move through 3D disordered porous environments. We show that cell migration in disordered porous media can be understood as a generalized random walk among "traps", with the effective diffusivity determined by the geometry of the microenvironment. A key implication of our work is that spatial heterogeneities in porosity effectively direct cell motion, revealing a guidance mechanism that we refer to as porotaxis. Overall, our work connects geometry with cell motility and underscores the microenvironment as a key regulator of cell migration.

Keywords: Cell migration; Transport phenomena; Porous media; Disordered systems