Estimating material property and failure of a living cell: numerical study

This paper presents finite element modelling of the deformation of a detached living cell subjected to microinjection and through the simulation, an investigation of the material properties of the cell components. The model is verified using images of the deformed cell as well as the measured penetration forces in the tests reported in the open literature. It is hoped that the modelling in this context will help to quantitatively evaluate the mechanical properties of the cells, and in particular, the failure strain of the cell cortex when penetration occurs.