Lattice-gas cellular automaton modeling of emergent behavior in interacting cell populations

Abstract

Biological organisms are complex systems characterized by collective behavior emerging out of the interaction of a large number of components (molecules and cells). In complex systems, even if the basic and local interactions are perfectly known, it is possible that the global (collective) behavior obeys new laws that are not obviously extrapolated from the individual properties. Only an understanding of the dynamics of collective effects at the molecular, and cellular scale allows answers to biological key questions such as: what enables ensembles of molecules to organize themselves into cells? How do ensembles of cells create tissues and whole organisms? Key to solving these problems is the design and analysis of appropriate mathematical models for spatio-temporal pattern formation. © 2010 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.