SEM2: A Multiscale Model For Cell And Tissue Mechanics In Morphogenesis

Morphogenesis is a complex, multiscale process which is extremely important to understand and equally difficult to model. While continuum mechanics deals poorly with non-linear, large deformations caused by individual cells migrating or proliferating, some discrete models fail to capture the underlying multiscale mechanics. We present an enhanced version of the subcellular element modeling (SEM2) framework to tackle this problem. SEM models tissue mechanics by describing cells as ensembles of particles whose interactions are governed by empirically defined potentials. Here, we chose a potential that preserves single-cell rheology to demonstrate how SEM2 offers multiscale mechanics in cell proliferation.