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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 37: Tissue Mechanics II

BP 37.8: Talk

Friday, March 13, 2026, 11:30–11:45, BAR/0106

A morphoelastic phase field model predicts buckling instability in tumor growth — Luise Zieger¹, Min Wu³, John Lowengrub⁴, and •Sebastian Aland^1,2 — ¹TU Freiberg — ²HTW Dresden — ³Worcester Polytechnic Institute, USA — ⁴UC Irvine, USA

It is well known that growing tumors generate and respond to stress in their local environment. On the one hand, local cell proliferation and apoptosis lead to complex strain patterns in the tissue. On the other hand, tissue re-arrangements can relax the resulting mechanical shear stresses and make the tissue more fluid-like. To predict the outcomes of these nonlinear visco-elastic interactions, we introduce the framework of morphoelasticity to phase field modeling of a growing tumor embedded in a surrounding host tissue. Coupling this continuum system to diffusible growth-promoting nutrient, our simulations identify a symmetry-breaking instability in 2D and 3D driven by two primary mechanisms: (i) elastic buckling instability generated by tangential stresses along the tumor-host interface and (ii) instabilities generated by local imbalances between cell divisions and cell death. Further, tissue fluidity and compressibility can lead to changes in tumor topologies. Our modeling framework provides a robust methodology for investigating how tissue mechanics and growth factor signaling influence the progression and invasive potential of solid tumors.

Keywords: morphoelasticity; viscoelastic tissue; phase field