Theoretical and computational studies of hydrodynamics-based separation of particles and polymers in microfluidic channels

Active nematic models are often used to model collective dynamics of cells in soft confluent tissues and epithelial monolayers. These theories typically assume that tissues are composed of cells with an immutable shape and that are either contractile (pulling other cells in along their elongation axis) or extensile (pushing outward). Recent work, however, has pointed to the importance of terms generically ignored for explaining why this dichotomy is unable to account for the behaviour of active nematic systems and the nature of active stress is not well established experimentally. To address this discrepancy, we will extend a combination of agent-based models of deformable cells and continuum theories that account for dynamic cell shape that is distinct from active stresses.