Speaker
Description
Cell proliferation and migration are tightly regulated by mechanical cues, particularly crowding through contact inhibition. A central control point is the G1/S restriction point (R-point), an irreversible checkpoint in late G1 where mammalian cells integrate environmental signals, such as cell density, with intrinsic regulatory cues to commit to DNA replication and division. We introduce a two-stage age-structured model of collective cell migration that resolves the G1 and S/G2/M phases, with both density-dependent and age-dependent regulation acting at the G1/S transition. We investigate the checkpoint-mediated coupling between cell-cycle progression and crowding, and determine how contact inhibition shapes wave speed, front structure, and the age distribution of migrating cell populations.
