A Multiscale Model of Cell Adhesion and Migration on Extracellular Matrices of Defined Stiffness and Adhesivity

Eukaryotic cells actively respond to variations in ligand density and stiffness of their extracellular matrix (ECM). This cell-ECM relationship plays an important role in regulating cell migration, wound healing, tumor invasion and metastasis. A better understanding of these mechanosenstive responses requires more rigorous models of the relationships between ECM biophysical properties, mechanotransductive signals, assembly of contractile and adhesive structures, and cell migration.