Cellular Traction Reconstruction

I developed and implemented FORTRAN algorithms for evaluating cellular tractions from experimentally measured displacement fields. The inverse problem was posed as PDE-constrained minimization and solved with adjoint equations, considering both geometric and material nonlinearity.

The HUVEC experimental data came from Christopher Chen’s group.

Measured displacement around HUVEC.

Recovered traction on the surface of HUVEC.

Related publications:

• Dong, L., & Oberai, A. A. (2017). Recovery of cellular traction in three-dimensional nonlinear hyperelastic matrices. Computer Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineering, 314, 296-313.
• Yoon, C., Choi, C., Stapleton, S., Mirabella, T., Howes, C., Dong, L., King, J., Yang, J., Oberai, A. A., Eyckmans, J., & Chen, C. S. (2019). Myosin IIA-mediated forces regulate multicellular integrity during vascular sprouting. Molecular Biology of the Cell, 30(16), 1974-1984.
• Song, D., Dong, L., Gupta, M., Li, L., Klaas, O., Loghin, A., Beall, M., Chen, C. S., & Oberai, A. A. (2020). Recovery of tractions exerted by single cells in three-dimensional nonlinear matrices. Journal of Biomechanical Engineering, 142(8).