Agent-based modeling for the tumor microenvironment (TME)

Cancer is a disease that arises from the uncontrolled growth of abnormal (tumor) cells in an organ and their subsequent spread into other parts of the body. If tumor cells spread to surrounding tissues or other organs, then the disease is life-threatening due to limited treatment options. This work...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Hasitha N. Weerasinghe, Pamela M. Burrage, Dan V. Nicolau Jr., Kevin Burrage
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: AIMS Press 2024-11-01
Series:Mathematical Biosciences and Engineering
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.aimspress.com/article/doi/10.3934/mbe.2024335
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Cancer is a disease that arises from the uncontrolled growth of abnormal (tumor) cells in an organ and their subsequent spread into other parts of the body. If tumor cells spread to surrounding tissues or other organs, then the disease is life-threatening due to limited treatment options. This work applies an agent-based model to investigate the effect of intra-tumoral communication on tumor progression, plasticity, and invasion, with results suggesting that cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) interactions affect tumor cell behavior. Additionally, the model suggests that low initial healthy cell densities and ECM protein densities promote tumor progression, cell motility, and invasion. Furthermore, high ECM breakdown probabilities of tumor cells promote tumor invasion. Understanding the intra-tumoral communication under cellular stress can potentially lead to the design of successful treatment strategies for cancer.
ISSN:1551-0018