Simulating T‐cell motility in the lymph node paracortex with a packed lattice geometry

Agent‐based simulation modelling of T‐cell trafficking, activation and proliferation in the lymph node paracortex requires a model for cell motility. Such a model must be able to reproduce the observed random‐walk behaviour of T cells, while accommodating large numbers of tightly packed cells, and must be computationally efficient. We report the development of a motility model, based on a three‐dimensional lattice geometry, that meets these objectives. Cells make discrete jumps between neighbouring lattice sites in directions that are randomly determined from specified discrete probability distributions, which are defined by a small number of parameters. It is shown that the main characteristics of the random motion of T cells as typically observed in vivo can be reproduced by suitable specification of model parameters. The model is computationally highly efficient and provides a suitable engine for a model capable of simulating the full T‐cell population of the paracortex.