Modelling Micropipette Aspiration with Active Particles

TL;DR

This paper presents a numerical model of cells using active particles to simulate micropipette aspiration, linking simulation parameters with experimental data to better understand cell mechanics.

Contribution

It introduces a novel active multi-particle ring model for 2D cells under micropipette aspiration, correlating simulation and experimental parameters.

Findings

Simulation parameters mapped to elastic properties

Model accurately reproduces experimental aspiration data

Provides a comprehensive parameter space analysis

Abstract

The study of cells' dynamical properties is essential to a better understanding of several physiological processes. These properties are directly associated with cells' mechanical parameters experimentally achieved through physical stress. The micropipette aspiration essay has proven an accurate and controllable tool to apply physical stress to the cell. In this work, we explore the numerical modeling of two-dimensional cells using an active multi-particle ring submitted to micropipette aspiration. We correlate simulation parameters with experimental data and obtain a complete map of the input parameters and the resulting elastic parameters that could be measured in experiments.