On the Modeling of the Viscoelastic Response of Embryonic Tissues

Forgacs et al. have developed a continuum model for cellular aggregates that has at its basis the work of Steinberg and co-workers concerning the coalescence of cells that takes into account surface tension effects, to describe the response of embryonic tissues. Here, we propose a solid model that reflects the fact that such embryonic tissues in the bulk (not at the cellular level) behave like solids rather than as fluids. The model stems from a robust thermodynamic framework and we show that our model fits the experimental data exceptionally well.