Integrated modeling and imaging for quantifying the mechanics of cells in three-dimensional culture

Tissue constructs synthesized by seeding natural extracellular matrix protein gels with living cells are important tools for the study of how cells interact mechanically with their neighborhood and their neighbors in natural, three-dimensional environments. Overcoming the challenge of quantifying cellular interactions from ensemble behaviors of entire tissue constructs has involved tight coupling of experimental, mathematical, and imaging techniques. This chapter summarizes the state of the art in such integrated approaches and presents some examples drawn from work in the authors’ labs.