Sensitivity analysis of adhesion in computational model of elastic doublet

A. Bohiniková, I. Jančigová, I. Cimrák & J. J. Feng

In Rojas, I., Valenzuela, O., Rojas, F., Herrera, L.J., Ortuño, F. (eds) Bioinformatics and Biomedical Engineering. IWBBIO 2022. Lecture Notes in Computer Science 13347, 220-233 (2022).

Abstract - This work introduces a computational model of elastic double cluster. We describe a method to create a partially flattened spherical cell and a mirroring process that creates a symmetrical double cluster with desired adhesion surface. The main focus is on the adhesion between the two cells modeled by repulsive-attractive Lennard-Jones potential. We study the stability of the adhesion with respect to the parameters of the Lennard-Jones potential and to the elasticity of the cells. Based on these, a baseline cluster is created and calibrated to a specific separation force using computational experiment that mimics a dual micropipette assay. This cluster is then immersed into elongation flow to create a parallel between the two types of cell stretching experiments: one that mechanically pulls the cell membrane and another where fluid flow creates stress on the membrane. Thus validated, our model of adhesion can be used in more complex clusters and serve as a building block in future computational studies.