title: Multi-scale modeling of a wound-healing cell migration assay.
abstract: A continuum model and a discrete model are developed to capture the population-scale and cell-scale behavior in a wound-healing cell migration assay created from a scrape wound in a confluent cell monolayer. During wound closure, the cell population forms a sustained traveling wave, with close contact between cells behind the wavefront. Cells exhibit contact inhibition of migration and contact-limited proliferation. The continuum model includes the two dominant mechanisms and characteristics of cell migration and proliferation, using a cell diffusivity function that decreases with cell density and a logistic proliferative growth term. The discrete model arises naturally from the continuum model. Individual cells are simulated as continuous-time random walkers with nearest-neighbor transitions, together with a birth/death process. The migration and proliferation parameters are determined by analysing individual mice 3T3 fibroblast cell trajectories obtained during the development of a confluent cell monolayer and in a wound healing assay. The population-scale model successfully predicts the shape and speed of the traveling wave, while the discrete model is also successful in capturing the contact inhibition of migration effects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Melbourne, Vic. 3010, Australia.
authors.forename: Anna Q
authors.initials: AQ
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.forename: Kerry A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Landman
authors.forename: Barry D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Hughes
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002450:Cell Communication / Q000502:physiology; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D003198:Computer Simulation; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D015233:Models, Statistical; D014945:Wound Healing