Abstract:

We consider the spread of glioma, a highly malignant brain tumor. We show that cell motility leads to deformation of the gel medium in which the cells move in an in vitro model for the brain. We present new techniques for extracting the network structure of biological gels such as collagen, and a micromechanical model for the network with the intent of understanding the remodeling and, eventually, the effects on cell motility in invasion.