A Computational Modelling Framework to Quantify the Effects of Passaging Cell Lines

The study developed a computational model to understand how cell characteristics change with increased passage numbers in in vitro cell cultures. Using a random walk model, it was found that the average proliferation rate of cells could either increase or decrease during passaging, influenced by initial cell heterogeneity and damage from passaging. Simulations of scratch assays revealed significant differences in closure rates depending on passage numbers, highlighting the importance of reporting passage numbers in experiments for reproducibility. The study suggested further experimental work to validate and refine these simulation results.