Bridging from single to collective cell migration: A review of models and links to experiments

TL;DR

This review discusses computational models of eukaryotic cell motility across intracellular, single-cell, and collective levels, highlighting methods, model integration, and experimental links, with a focus on bridging these scales.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of models connecting different organizational levels in cell motility, emphasizing the rarity of multi-scale models.

Findings

Models spanning all three levels are still rare.

Survey of computational methods like phase-field and Cellular Potts.

Links between models and experimental data are highlighted.

Abstract

Mathematical and computational models can assist in gaining an understanding of cell behavior at many levels of organization. Here, we review models in the literature that focus on eukaryotic cell motility at 3 size scales: intracellular signaling that regulates cell shape and movement, single cell motility, and collective cell behavior from a few cells to tissues. We survey recent literature to summarize distinct computational methods (phase-field, polygonal, Cellular Potts, and spherical cells). We discuss models that bridge between levels of organization, and describe levels of detail, both biochemical and geometric, included in the models. We also highlight links between models and experiments. We find that models that span the 3 levels are still in the minority.