Modeling the dynamical response of biological cells

The dynamics of cell membrane response to nanosecond, high intensity pulses are studied, based on a molecular dynamics (MD) approach. We focus on the cell membrane since the highest electric fields in any biological system will develop across such insulating sheaths. Our simulations focus on membrane rupture and pore formation. In a sense, these phenomena correspond to an internal structural breakdown. It is shown that field-induced changes in membrane permeabilization is due to microscopic deformations at the molecular level. For simplicity, course-grained representations are used instead of a full atomistic scheme, and our results agree with available reports.