Title: Mathematical modeling of tumor growth: hybrid approaches
Speaker: Yangjin Kim (Konkuk University and MBI)
Abstract: Glioblastoma (GBM) is one of the most lethal type of brain cancer with poor survival time. GBM is characterized by infiltration of the cancer cells through the brain tissue while lower grade gliomas and other non-neural metastatic types form self-contained non-invasive lesions. GBMs are highly invasive and difficult to treat because cells migrate into surrounding healthy brain tissue rapidly, and thus these tumors are difficult to completely remove surgically. We develop various mathematical models to investigate the basic mechanisms of glioma infiltration through the extracellular matrix and other cells in the absence and presence of blood vessels. The hybrid method allows us to investigate the multi-scale (space and time) nature of tumor progression in GBM and other cancers including breast cancers. We show that the model’s predictions agree with experimental results for a glioma. We also develop new therapeutic strategies to eradicate the infiltrative glioma cells via the miR-451-AMPK-mTOR-cell cycle signaling network. Reactive astrocytes and microglia (M1 and M2 types) also play a significant role in regulation of cell infiltration. It is also shown that heavy CSPGs can drive the exodus of resident reactive astrocytes from the main tumor mass, and direct inhibition of tumor invasion by the astrogliotic capsule, leading to encapsulation of non-invasive lesions. The mathematical model presents the clear role of the key tumor microenvironment in brain tumor invasion.
