Using CellML to embed muscle cell models in a multiscale tissue network

John Davidson has recently completed his PhD at the Auckland Bioengineering Institute, The University of Auckland in skeletal muscle physiology and mechanics. As part of his research he implemented a mathematical model of fatigue in skeletal muscle force contraction. 

Using a suite of tools

To achieve this John translated the model, which was originally developed in MATLAB, into CellML using the Matlab2CellML converter. Further editing was carried out in a text editor, and the validity of the final model was tested using the simulation tools JSim and CMISS. In this case, the main advantage of CellML over the original MATLAB was that it allowed John to embed his cell model within a larger tissue framework. 

From skeletal muscle to smooth muscle in the gut

Since completing his PhD, John has moved on to study the gut. He is now working with an existing CellML model of pacemaker activity in the interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC), developed by his colleague Richard Faville. Using CMISS, John has embedded this cell model in a larger tissue framework to more accurately study slow-wave activity in the gut.