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Apoptosis vs Necrosis: Comparing Two Cell Death Pathways

Trigger apoptosis or necrosis in a targeted cell inside a 3D tissue and watch the two death pathways unfold differently: clean fragmentation and silent clearance versus swelling, rupture and a spreading inflammatory response.

Medicine & Biophysics3DModerate60 FPS

This simulation places a single targeted cell inside a small patch of 3D tissue and lets you trigger either apoptosis or necrosis to compare their consequences directly. Apoptosis unfolds as a controlled shrink-and-fragment sequence: the cell condenses, breaks into small sealed apoptotic bodies, and those bodies are quietly engulfed by neighboring cells with no spillage and no inflammatory response. Necrosis unfolds as an uncontrolled swell-and-rupture sequence: the cell balloons outward, its membrane bursts, its contents spill into the surrounding tissue, and that spillage recruits immune cells and drives up inflammation — with a few nearby healthy cells sustaining visible collateral stress. Live readouts track inflammation level and collateral damage so the two pathways can be compared side by side.

⚙ Under the hood

Trigger apoptosis or necrosis in a targeted cell inside a 3D tissue and watch the two death pathways diverge: apoptosis shrinks, fragments into sealed apoptotic bodies and is quietly engulfed with zero inflammation, while necrosis swells, ruptures, spills its contents and recruits immune cells that stress nearby healthy cells. Live readouts compare inflammation level and collateral damage between the two pathways.

apoptosisnecrosiscell deathinflammationpathologycell biologytissue damage

3D · Three.js / WebGL renderer · 60 FPS target · runs fully client-side, no install