Modeling embryonic tubulogenesis with polarized particles

Epithelial morphogenesis is driven by the formation, growth, and bending of thin sheets of cells with distinct interior (apical) and exterior (basal) sides. In this study we attempted to improve on past particle-based cell models to form a model of morphogenesis based on a two-particle polarized cell structure. We began by modeling a stable cyst-like structure. We then tested and calibrated the viscoelastic properties of our model by compressing the cell structure between two plates, which is comparable to real world data collected by Forgacs et al. (1998). We also simulated the growth of a hollow sphere into a tube-like structure using directed cell growth and a theoretical version of a basal lamina. With minimal refinement, this model should generalize to 3D.