Combining experiments and in silico modeling to infer the role of adhesion and proliferation on the collective dynamics of cells

Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-99390-x. The collective dynamics of cells on surfaces and interfaces poses technological and theoretical challenges in the study of morphogenesis, tissue engineering, and cancer. Different mechanisms are at play, including, cellâ cell adhesion, cell motility, and proliferation. However, the relative importance of each one is elusive. Here, experiments with a culture of glioblastoma multiforme cells on a substrate are combined with in silico modeling to infer the rate of each mechanism. By parametrizing these rates, the time-dependence of the spatial correlation observed experimentally is reproduced. The obtained results suggest a reduction in cellâ cell adhesion with the density of cells. The reason for such reduction and possible implications for the collective dynamics of cancer cells are discussed. The authors acknowledge fnancial support from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under Contracts no. PTDC/FIS-MAC/28146/2017 (LISBOA-01-0145-FEDER-028146), UIDB/00618/2020, and UIDP/00618/2020. F.R.M. also acknowledges FCT for her contract under the Transitional Rule DL 57/2016 (CTTI-57/18-I3BS(5)).