The vascular system, a prominent example of an ordered system, is a dynamic network of vessels that are regularly generated via processes such as angiogenesis1 [1]. It is well-known that endothelial cell monolayers, which coat the inner surfaces of blood vessels, typically form ordered arrangements with mixed orientations. Misalignments in such endothelial cell monolayers, either spontaneous or in response to shear flows, are often associated with pathologies. However, the role of orientational order in organizing endothelial cells collective dynamics remains unclear in many cases.
Our main goal is to understand how the interplay between active processes, topological defects (i.e. localized distortions of an ordered phase) and geometry can generate shapes similar to those found in the early stages of angiogenesis, see Figure. To address this question, we will first construct a theoretical description of an active liquid crystal on a cylindrical cavity based on recent works2 [2], and second, we will study the emergent shapes as a function of material parameters, such as the internal active processes or the mechanics of the external environment.
