University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Modeling the mechanics of quasi-2D biological tissues through morphological cues
Abstract
dc:descriptionSimple vertex models have shown that the mechanical properties of 2D space-filling domain structures (e.g., layers of foam bubbles, emulsion droplets, Voronoi tiles, etc.) are related to their morphology (both to the geometry and to the statistical organization of the domains). The present research aims at confirming the degree to which these concepts are applicable to layers of biological cells, using experimental data and modeling of epithelial tissue sheets. Preliminary results show that geometric and statistical diagnostics deviate from 2D theory, and that the cause of such deviations is mechanical stress introduced at the apical and basal sides of the cell layer. Modified modeling approaches incorporating these effects are discussed. In this work, we propose an extension of this morphological analysis to biological tissue systems by explicitly accounting for aspects of biological tissue activity as part of a theoretical model. The results greatly impact the ability to quantitatively diagnose the mechanics and stability of tissue samples non-invasively as well as to identify and potentially generate morphological tissue states having desired physical properties.
Degree
thesis:*- Name thesis:degree_name
- Ph.D.
- Level thesis:degree_level
- Dissertation
- Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
- Physics
- Grantor
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- Year dc:date
- 2025
Author and committee
dc:creator, dc:contributor.*- Author dc:creator
-
- Nakib, Mayisha Zeb
- Contributors dc:contributor
-
- Hilgenfeldt, Sascha
- Chemla, Yann
- Cooper, Lance
- Leggett, Anthony
Subjects
dc:subject × 11Rights
dc:rights- Statement dc:rights
-
- Copyright 2025 Mayisha Zeb Nakib
- Language dc:language
- en, eng
Identifiers
dc:identifier.*- Handle dc:identifier
- https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129892