Citation
Ballesteros Hernando, Julia and Ramos Gomez, Milagros and Díaz Lantada, Andrés
(2019).
Modeling Living Cells Within Microfuidic Systems Using Cellular Automata Models.
"Scientific Reports", v. 2019
(n. 9);
pp. 1-10.
ISSN 2045-2322.
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-51494-1.
Abstract
Several computational models, both continuum and discrete, allow for the simulation of collective
cell behaviors in connection with challenges linked to disease modeling and understanding. Normally,
discrete cell modelling employs quasi-infnite or boundary-less 2D lattices, hence modeling collective
cell behaviors in Petri dish-like environments. The advent of lab- and organ-on-a-chip devices proves
that the information obtained from 2D cell cultures, upon Petri dishes, difers importantly from the
results obtained in more biomimetic micro-fuidic environments, made of interconnected chambers and
channels. However, discrete cell modelling within lab- and organ-on-a-chip devices, to our knowledge,
is not yet found in the literature, although it may prove useful for designing and optimizing these
types of systems. Consequently, in this study we focus on the establishment of a direct connection
between the computer-aided designs (CAD) of microfuidic systems, especially labs- and organs-onchips (and their multi-chamber and multi-channel structures), and the lattices for discrete cell modeling
approaches aimed at the simulation of collective cell interactions, whose boundaries are defned
directly from the CAD models. We illustrate the proposal using a quite straightforward cellular automata
model, apply it to simulating cells with diferent growth rates, within a selected set of microsystem
designs, and validate it by tuning the growth rates with the support of cell culture experiments and by
checking the results with a real microfuidic system.