Structured Models of Cell Migration Incorporating Molecular Binding Processes

TL;DR

This paper develops a comprehensive mathematical framework to model how molecular binding to cell surfaces influences collective cell migration, with applications to cancer invasion.

Contribution

It introduces a novel spatio-temporal-structural model integrating molecular binding processes with cell population dynamics.

Findings

Framework successfully describes molecular binding in migrating cell populations

Application to cancer invasion demonstrates model's relevance

Provides a basis for exploring molecular mechanisms in tissue development

Abstract

The dynamic interplay between collective cell movement and the various molecules involved in the accompanying cell signalling mechanisms plays a crucial role in many biological processes including normal tissue development and pathological scenarios such as wound healing and cancer. Information about the various structures embedded within these processes allows a detailed exploration of the binding of molecular species to cell-surface receptors within the evolving cell population. In this paper we establish a general spatio-temporal-structural framework that enables the description of molecular binding to cell membranes coupled with the cell population dynamics. We first provide a general theoretical description for this approach and then illustrate it with two examples arising from cancer invasion.