Chaste

Chaste simulates physiological and biological systems using modular computational frameworks for continuum and discrete cell-based models to study cardiac electrophysiology, tissue mechanics, and organ-scale processes.

Key Features:

• Modular Design: A modular, extensible architecture integrates linear algebra operations, finite element meshes, and differential equation solvers to support continuum and cell-based modeling.
• High-performance computing: Provides high-performance simulations optimized for execution on HPC platforms.
• Application-Specific Frameworks: Contains dedicated frameworks for cardiac, cell-based tissue, and lung modeling addressing different spatial and temporal scales.
• Cardiac Chaste: Implements continuum modeling of cardiac electrophysiology and heart dynamics.
• Cell-Based Chaste: Implements discrete cell-based models including cellular automaton, cellular Potts model, cell-centre models with overlapping spheres or Voronoi tessellations, and the vertex model.
• Lung Chaste: Couples detailed airway mechanics with organ-scale ventilation models for lung simulations.

Scientific Applications:

• Cardiac Physiology: Simulation of cardiac electrophysiology to investigate heart dynamics.
• Respiratory Studies: Modeling of lung mechanics and organ-scale ventilation processes.
• Cancer Research: Simulation of tumor growth and cellular behaviors in tissue contexts.
• Developmental Biology: Exploration of tissue formation, growth, and repair mechanisms using cell-based and continuum approaches.

Methodology:

Uses a modular computational architecture employing linear algebra operations, finite element meshes, differential equation solvers, continuum modeling, discrete cell-based models (cellular automaton, cellular Potts, cell-centre models with overlapping spheres or Voronoi tessellations, vertex model), coupling of airway mechanics with organ-scale ventilation, and high-performance computing.