Simulating the behaviour of cancer cells in the microfluidic chip

Abstract

One of the newly emerging experimental setups in biomedical experiments are the three-dimensional culture models, the so-called lab-on-chip systems, or microfluidic chips. They ensure a more realistic physiological experimental conditions by using a chamber with cells and microchannels that imitate the capillary network and ensure a better diffusion of nutrients. In this study a hybrid numerical model is presented that is capable of simulating the behavior of cancer cells in a microfluidic chip. The model combines the agent-based model (ABM) and the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) and is capable of predicting the change of number of cells over time. The presented model can be helpful for a more thorough analysis of behavior of cancer cells under diverse drug treatments and can be an efficient support to experiments. Experiments can be used as the basis for the estimation of parameters of the numerical model and this information can provide quantitative insight into influence of diverse considered drug treatments on the behavior of cancer cells, which can further help plan future experiments accordingly.