Mechanical Neural Growth Models

Critical to being able to control the growth patterns of cell-based sensors is being able to understand how the cytoskeleton of the cell maintains its structure and integrity both under mechanical load and in a load-free environment. Our approach to a better understanding of cell growth is to use a computer simulation that incorporates the primary structures, microtubules, necessary for growth along with their observed behaviors and experimentally determined mechanical properties. Microtubules are the main compressive structural support elements for the axon of a neuron and are created via polymerization of α-β tubulin dimers. Our de novo simulation explores the mechanics of the forces between microtubules and the membrane. We hypothesize that axonal growth is most influenced by the location and direction of the force exerted by the microtubule on the membrane, and furthermore that the interplay of forces between microtubules and the inner surface of the cell membrane dictates the polar structure of axons. The simulation will be used to understand cytoskeletal mechanics for the purpose of engineering cells to be used as sensors.