Interactive cell injection simulation based on 3D biomechanical tensegrity model

To facilitate training of biological cell injection operations, we are developing an interactive virtual environment to simulate needle insertion into biological cells. A key challenge of deformable simulation is to satisfy the conflicting requirements of real-time interactivity and physical realism. This paper presents methodologies for dynamic modeling, visual/haptic display and model validation of cell injection. We first investigate the challenging issues in the modeling of the bio-mechanical properties of living cells. We propose a dynamic model to simulate cell deformation and puncture. The developed approach is based on the assumptions that the mechanical response of living cells is mainly determined by the cytoskeleton and that the cytoskeleton is organised as a tensegrity structure including microfilaments, microtubules and intermediate filaments. Equivalent microtubules struts are represented with a linear mass-tensor finite element model and equivalent microfilaments and intermediate filaments with viscoelastic Kelvin-Voigt elements. The virtual environment has been implemented with both graphic and haptic interfaces.