Collaborators: Beth L. Pruitt, Liam P. Dow, M. Cristina Marchetti

Publications: Preprint can be accessed here.

How do epithelial cells confined in 1 dimesional long fibronectin patterns respond to external perturbations, like localised boundary step-strains or oscillatory strains? We study this local rheological response in theory (continuum model) and simulations (phase field and vertex models) to understand experimentally observed rich phenomena.

I presented some early results in a talk at APS March Meeting 2023. I presented some polished results in a talk at APS March Meeting 2024.

Image with three subimages, a is a sketch of vertex model, b is a sketch of the phase field model and c is a sketch of continuum model.

Model schematic taken from our review.

Schematic of a 1D vertex model with dynamical rest length and chemomechanical couplings.

Schematic of a 1D vertex model (pink cells, green cell-cell vertices) with dynamical rest length and chemomechanical couplings that give rise to persistent spatiotemporal waves as seen in experiments, ours and previous. Attached blue bead applies local boundary perturbations to the cell line.