Modelling phagocytosis based on cell–cell adhesion and prey–predator relationship

Phagocytosis refers to a process in which one cell type fully encloses and consumes unwanted cells, debris or particulate matter. It has an important role in immune systems through the destruction of pathogens and the inhibiting of cancerous cells. In this paper, we combine cell–cell adhesion and predator–prey modelling to generate a new model for phagocytosis that can relate the interaction between cells in both space and time. Stability analysis for both homogeneous and non-homogeneous steady states is provided for one-dimensional model indicating the range of parameters that leads to phagocytosis. Finally, the paper presents numerical results for both one and two-dimensional models, which show excellent agreement with a real phenomenon of bacteria phagocytized by neutrophil cell.