Modelling the effects of mechanically variable confining environments on cell migration

Cell migration is central to many important biological processes such as wound healing and immune response. It is also prominent in many pathological processes for example cancer metastasis. Migrating cells experience a wide variety of external environments in vivo. We investigate how the rigidity and confining geometry of the external environment affect cell motility and shape.
We model a confined cell migrating using adhesion-independent strategies as an active viscous droplet and have developed a general model for the external environment. Here we can alter mechanical properties and geometry of the external environment to explore their effect on cell behaviour, including cell speed, persistent motion and deformation. This has important implications for targeting medical interventions for diseases where migration is a key process, and in better understanding immune response.