Contact area of cell cluster in a simple bifurcation

Abstract

The ability of circulating tumor cells and their clusters to cause cancer metastases is not fully understood. Among the factors that influence the metastatic potential is the interaction of cells with vessel walls. In this work we consider two cluster models with variable stiffness in a simple microfluidic bifurcation and examine the contact area over time. We find that softer clusters have larger contact area in both models, but the model in which the clusters can also change their shapes in flow or break apart has lower contact than geometry preserving model of the same stiffness. We also consider the impact of cluster orientation in flow prior to reaching the bifurcation point and conclude that it has a significant impact on the cluster-wall contact area.