Berlin 2024 – scientific programme

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 32: Tissue Mechanics II

BP 32.2: Talk

Thursday, March 21, 2024, 15:15–15:30, H 2032

Agent-based model for active nematics of cellular tissues — •Mathieu Dedenon^{1, 2}, Carles Blanch-Mercader³, Karsten Kruse^{1, 2}, and Jens Elgeti⁴ — ¹Department of Biochemistry, University of Geneva, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland — ²Department of Theoretical Physics, University of Geneva, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland — ³Laboratoire Physico-Chimie Curie, Institut Curie, Université PSL, Sorbonne Université, CNRS UMR168, Paris, France — ⁴Theoretical Soft Matter and Biophysics, Institute of Complex Systems, Forschungszentrum Jülich, D-52425 Jülich, Germany

Biological cellular tissues often exhibit domains of orientational order, separated by topological defects where orientation is ill-defined. Those regions concentrate active stresses generated by cell force dipoles and give rise to spontaneous flows. This interplay of nematic order and activity has been explored based on two-dimensional continuum theory, but more complex geometries remain unexplored theoretically.

Based on a two-particle agent-based model, we describe cells as multi-particle filaments with controllable aspect ratio. We incorporate mechanical activity in terms of individual cell force dipoles. This framework is designed to capture hydrodynamic modes at large scales.

In agreement with the continuum theory of active nematics, we recapitulate the active flow transition beyond a critical activity threshold for two-dimensional simulations. In addition, we confirm the influence of activity on the onset of nematic order and identify a fluidization effect. In the future, we plan to explore active nematic features in more complex geometries.

Keywords: active nematics; agent-based model; tissue mechanics