Integration of Molecular Signaling into Multiscale Modeling of Cancer - Multiscale Computer Modeling in Biomechanics and Biomedical Engineering - page 383

Fig. 3 A transversal section of a simulated tumor formed by different cell types. The external
rim of the tumor is mostly formed by weak adhesive cell types (black, red and blue), while sub-
pathway 1 cell and the sub-pathway 3 cell phenotype associated with intermediate Src synthesis
rate (white and green) remain mostly at the interior. Slow and fast Src synthesis cells and sub-
pathway 2 cells dominate the positions at the tumor border, outcompeting cell types with strong
cell-cell adhesion (sub-pathway 1 and sub-pathway 3 with intermediate Src synthesis rate).
Reproduced with permission from [ 44 ]
one simulation example with a tumor of 100,000 cells. This finding agrees well
with an experimental study [ 53 ] where cell-cell adhesion behavior was found to be
only possible at intermediate concentrations of Src, and when Src was absent or
when it was at high concentrations, the cells were not able to express E-cadherin-
mediated bonds. This model suggested that therapies eradicating Src may not be
effective to prevent cancer invasion because sub-pathway 3 phenotypes associated
with low Src expression levels were one of the most aggressive.
3 Discussion and Future Directions
We have reviewed the methods and achievements of a specific type of multiscale
agent-based modeling which encompass molecular and multicellular scales.
Although still at an early stage, this approach has demonstrated its ability to help