Individual-based simulation of the clustering behaviour of epidermal growth factor receptors

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Goldman, Jacki P.^; | Gullick, William J. | Johnson, Colin G.

Affiliations: Computing Laboratory, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, CT2 7NF, UK | Department of Biosciences, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, CT2 7NJ, UK

Note: [] Corresponding author. Tel.: +44 1227 827562; Fax: +44 1227 762811; E-mail: C.G.Johnson@ukc.ac.uk

Abstract: This paper describes ongoing work on a project to simulate the behaviour of epidermal growth factor receptors. These are structures which can be found on the surface of cells in the body, which receive and process chemical signals concerned with cell growth. The implementation of a program which simulates the stimulation and clustering behaviour of these structures is described, then the paper discusses how the simulation can be scaled up so that a whole cell can be simulated on a tractable timescale. Finally some early results are given which show the effect of changing parameters in the system, and discuss ongoing work on calibrating the simulation against results from experiments.

Journal: Scientific Programming, vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 25-43, 2004