A molecular mechanisms-based biophysical model for two-phase cell spreading

Cell spreading on an extracellular matrix is crucial for many biological functions and processes. By accounting for the molecular mechanisms of actin polymerization and integrin binding between the cell and the extracellular matrix, we here propose a biophysical model to predict the time-dependent growth rate of cell spreading. A general power-law is derived to predict the increasing contact radius of the cell with time and it is valid for almost all types of cells. With focus on the geometrical and biological characteristics, the results of this model agree well with relevant experimental measurements.