Computer modelling of cell division during development using a topological approach.

Development in multicellular animals consists of a constant progression of cell division, differentiation and morphogenesis. Our understanding of the relationship between division and the acquisition of shape and form is not well understood, and this paper describes a computer representation of cell division processes with possible applications to the modelling of developmental events. This representation is not itself a model in the true sense, but is a scaffolding onto which a set of model assumptions and parameters can be built. We discuss one such set of assumptions, used to model cell sorting, describe the extension of the framework to represent sheets of cells in three dimensions, and make some observations on the incorporation of mechanical forces into the representation.