2022/03/10 by Mete Demircigil, Demircigil, Mete · 1 citation
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Computer Science · Engineering · Mathematics · #Advanced optical system design #Analysis of PDEs (math.AP) #Cellular Mechanics and Interactions #Elasticity and Material Modeling #FOS: Mathematics #Mathematical Biology Tumor Growth #Nonlinear Dynamics and Pattern Formation
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2203.05204
openalex publication_date 2022/03/10 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
We investigate a minimal model for cell propagation involving migration along self-generated signaling gradients and cell division, which has been proposed in an earlier study. The model consists in a system of two coupled parabolic diffusion-advection-reaction equations. Because of a discontinuous advection term, the Cauchy problem should be handled with care. We first establish existence and uniqueness locally in time through the reduction of the problem to the well-posedness of an ODE, under a monotonicity condition on the signaling gradient. Then, we carry out an asymptotic analysis of the system. All positive and bounded traveling waves of the system are computed and an explicit formula for the minimal wave speed is deduced. An analysis on the inside dynamics of the wave establishes a dichotomy between pushed and pulled waves depending on the strength of the advection. We identified the minimal wave speed as the biologically relevant speed, in a weak sense, that is, the solution propagates slower, respectively faster, than the minimal wave speed, up to time extraction. Finally, we extend the study to a hyperbolic two-velocity model with persistence.