A semi-stochastic cell-based formalism to model the dynamics of migration of cells in colonies.

We consider the movement and viability of individual cells in cell colonies. Cell movement is assumed to take place as a result of sensing the strain energy density as a mechanical stimulus. The model is based on tracking the displacement and viability of each individual cell in a cell colony. Several applications are shown, such as the dynamics of filling a gap within a fibroblast colony and the invasion of a cell colony. Though based on simple principles, the model is qualitatively validated by experiments on living fibroblasts on a flat substrate.