#34 · Systems biology

Cross-scale models link local viscoelastic mechanics to whole-structure behaviour

The shared thread is coupling of local mechanical properties to whole-structure behaviour across scales. The epithelial framework links cell-scale orientational collisions to tissue viscoelasticity and jamming in migrating monolayers. The reticulocyte study connects shape and stiffness, assessed through DPD simulations and microchannel assays, to splenic retention and altitude hyperviscosity. The podocyte work applies shear-lag and discrete network models to predict a force-driven feedback loop underlying progressive foot process effacement. The items are heterogeneous in system and evidentiary basis: the reticulocyte study includes microchannel assays, whereas the epithelial and podocyte items are described as modelling frameworks. What is new is the extension of cross-scale mechanical reasoning to tissue jamming, red cell retention and glomerular architecture.