Computational Modelling of Cancer Development and Growth: Modelling at Multiple Scales and Multiscale Modelling

Authored by Mark A J Chaplain, Zuzanna Szymanska, Maciej Cytowski, Elaine Mitchell, Cicely K Macnamara

Date Published: 2018

DOI: 10.1007/s11538-017-0292-3

Sponsors: National Science Centre of Poland

Platforms: No platforms listed

Model Documentation: Other Narrative Flow charts Pseudocode Mathematical description

Model Code URLs: Model code not found

Abstract

In this paper, we present two mathematical models related to different aspects and scales of cancer growth. The first model is a stochastic spatiotemporal model of both a synthetic gene regulatory network (the example of a three-gene repressilator is given) and an actual gene regulatory network, the NF-B pathway. The second model is a force-based individual-based model of the development of a solid avascular tumour with specific application to tumour cords, i.e. a mass of cancer cells growing around a central blood vessel. In each case, we compare our computational simulation results with experimental data. In the final discussion section, we outline how to take the work forward through the development of a multiscale model focussed at the cell level. This would incorporate key intracellular signalling pathways associated with cancer within each cell (e.g. p53-Mdm2, NF-B) and through the use of high-performance computing be capable of simulating up to cells, i.e. the tissue scale. In this way, mathematical models at multiple scales would be combined to formulate a multiscale computational model.
Tags
Individual-based model In-vitro Tumor-induced angiogenesis Chemical-reactions Active-transport Regulatory networks Tumor spheroids Computational simulations Multiscale cancer modelling Gene regulatory network Spatial stochastic model Intracellular protein dynamics Synthetic genetic oscillators Time delays Negative feedback Hes1 Genetic-control Time delays Oscillatory expression Parallel simulations