A non local model for cell migration in response to mechanical stimuli (Q6539704)

The authors present a mathematical model for migration of a single cell in response to mechanical stimuli. In particular, cell movement according to changes in the direction of polarization and in response to stiffness properties of a 2D substrate are studied. Thereby, on the one hand the process of durotaxis, i.e. movement towards regions with higher stiffness of the substrate, and on the other hand tensotaxis, i.e. movement towards tensile stresses and away from compressive stresses of the substrate, are studied. The model consists of nonlocal integro-differential equations with an additional random Brownian motion.\N\NThe authors prove the existence and uniqueness of a solution, if appropriate assumptions are required. Moreover, the authors present several numerical simulations and show that the model reproduces results observed in biological experiments. The authors discuss in details their numerical results, the comparison with experimental results as well as the potential and limitations of the model.