1
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Cogno N, Axenie C, Bauer R, Vavourakis V. Agent-based modeling in cancer biomedicine: applications and tools for calibration and validation. Cancer Biol Ther 2024; 25:2344600. [PMID: 38678381 PMCID: PMC11057625 DOI: 10.1080/15384047.2024.2344600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 04/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Computational models are not just appealing because they can simulate and predict the development of biological phenomena across multiple spatial and temporal scales, but also because they can integrate information from well-established in vitro and in vivo models and test new hypotheses in cancer biomedicine. Agent-based models and simulations are especially interesting candidates among computational modeling procedures in cancer research due to the capability to, for instance, recapitulate the dynamics of neoplasia and tumor - host interactions. Yet, the absence of methods to validate the consistency of the results across scales can hinder adoption by turning fine-tuned models into black boxes. This review compiles relevant literature that explores strategies to leverage high-fidelity simulations of multi-scale, or multi-level, cancer models with a focus on verification approached as simulation calibration. We consolidate our review with an outline of modern approaches for agent-based models' validation and provide an ambitious outlook toward rigorous and reliable calibration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolò Cogno
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Institute for Condensed Matter Physics, Technische Universit¨at Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Cristian Axenie
- Computer Science Department and Center for Artificial Intelligence, Technische Hochschule Nürnberg Georg Simon Ohm, Nuremberg, Germany
| | - Roman Bauer
- Nature Inspired Computing and Engineering Research Group, Computer Science Research Centre, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK
| | - Vasileios Vavourakis
- Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus
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2
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Metzcar J, Jutzeler CR, Macklin P, Köhn-Luque A, Brüningk SC. A review of mechanistic learning in mathematical oncology. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1363144. [PMID: 38533513 PMCID: PMC10963621 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1363144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Mechanistic learning refers to the synergistic combination of mechanistic mathematical modeling and data-driven machine or deep learning. This emerging field finds increasing applications in (mathematical) oncology. This review aims to capture the current state of the field and provides a perspective on how mechanistic learning may progress in the oncology domain. We highlight the synergistic potential of mechanistic learning and point out similarities and differences between purely data-driven and mechanistic approaches concerning model complexity, data requirements, outputs generated, and interpretability of the algorithms and their results. Four categories of mechanistic learning (sequential, parallel, extrinsic, intrinsic) of mechanistic learning are presented with specific examples. We discuss a range of techniques including physics-informed neural networks, surrogate model learning, and digital twins. Example applications address complex problems predominantly from the domain of oncology research such as longitudinal tumor response predictions or time-to-event modeling. As the field of mechanistic learning advances, we aim for this review and proposed categorization framework to foster additional collaboration between the data- and knowledge-driven modeling fields. Further collaboration will help address difficult issues in oncology such as limited data availability, requirements of model transparency, and complex input data which are embraced in a mechanistic learning framework.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Metzcar
- Intelligent Systems Engineering, Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering, Bloomington, IN, United States
- Informatics, Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering, Bloomington, IN, United States
| | - Catherine R. Jutzeler
- Department of Health Sciences and Technology (D-HEST), Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich (ETH), Zürich, Switzerland
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (SIB), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Paul Macklin
- Intelligent Systems Engineering, Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering, Bloomington, IN, United States
| | - Alvaro Köhn-Luque
- Oslo Centre for Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Oslo Centre for Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Research Support Services, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Sarah C. Brüningk
- Department of Health Sciences and Technology (D-HEST), Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich (ETH), Zürich, Switzerland
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (SIB), Lausanne, Switzerland
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3
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Dimitriou NM, Demirag E, Strati K, Mitsis GD. A calibration and uncertainty quantification analysis of classical, fractional and multiscale logistic models of tumour growth. COMPUTER METHODS AND PROGRAMS IN BIOMEDICINE 2024; 243:107920. [PMID: 37976612 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmpb.2023.107920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2023] [Revised: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 11/05/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE The validation of mathematical models of tumour growth is frequently hampered by the lack of sufficient experimental data, resulting in qualitative rather than quantitative studies. Recent approaches to this problem have attempted to extract information about tumour growth by integrating multiscale experimental measurements, such as longitudinal cell counts and gene expression data. In the present study, we investigated the performance of several mathematical models of tumour growth, including classical logistic, fractional and novel multiscale models, in terms of quantifying in-vitro tumour growth in the presence and absence of therapy. We further examined the effect of genes associated with changes in chemosensitivity in cell death rates. METHODS The multiscale expansion of logistic growth models was performed by coupling gene expression profiles to the cell death rates. State-of-the-art Bayesian inference, likelihood maximisation and uncertainty quantification techniques allowed a thorough evaluation of model performance. RESULTS The results suggest that the classical single-cell population model (SCPM) was the best fit for the untreated and low-dose treatment conditions, while the multiscale model with a cell death rate symmetric with the expression profile of OCT4 (Sym-SCPM) yielded the best fit for the high-dose treatment data. Further identifiability analysis showed that the multiscale model was both structurally and practically identifiable under the condition of known OCT4 expression profiles. CONCLUSIONS Overall, the present study demonstrates that model performance can be improved by incorporating multiscale measurements of tumour growth when high-dose treatment is involved.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ece Demirag
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, 2109, Cyprus
| | - Katerina Strati
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, 2109, Cyprus
| | - Georgios D Mitsis
- Department of Bioengineering, McGill University, Montreal, H3A 0E9, QC, Canada.
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4
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Borau C, Wertheim KY, Hervas-Raluy S, Sainz-DeMena D, Walker D, Chisholm R, Richmond P, Varella V, Viceconti M, Montero A, Gregori-Puigjané E, Mestres J, Kasztelnik M, García-Aznar JM. A multiscale orchestrated computational framework to reveal emergent phenomena in neuroblastoma. COMPUTER METHODS AND PROGRAMS IN BIOMEDICINE 2023; 241:107742. [PMID: 37572512 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmpb.2023.107742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2023] [Revised: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 08/14/2023]
Abstract
Neuroblastoma is a complex and aggressive type of cancer that affects children. Current treatments involve a combination of surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and stem cell transplantation. However, treatment outcomes vary due to the heterogeneous nature of the disease. Computational models have been used to analyse data, simulate biological processes, and predict disease progression and treatment outcomes. While continuum cancer models capture the overall behaviour of tumours, and agent-based models represent the complex behaviour of individual cells, multiscale models represent interactions at different organisational levels, providing a more comprehensive understanding of the system. In 2018, the PRIMAGE consortium was formed to build a cloud-based decision support system for neuroblastoma, including a multi-scale model for patient-specific simulations of disease progression. In this work we have developed this multi-scale model that includes data such as patient's tumour geometry, cellularity, vascularization, genetics and type of chemotherapy treatment, and integrated it into an online platform that runs the simulations on a high-performance computation cluster using Onedata and Kubernetes technologies. This infrastructure will allow clinicians to optimise treatment regimens and reduce the number of costly and time-consuming clinical trials. This manuscript outlines the challenging framework's model architecture, data workflow, hypothesis, and resources employed in its development.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Borau
- Multiscale in Mechanical and Biological Engineering (M2BE), Aragon Institute of Engineering Research (I3A), Mechanical Engineering Department, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain.
| | - K Y Wertheim
- Department of Computer Science and InsigneoInstitute for In Silico Medicine, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom; Centre of Excellence for Data Science, Artificial Intelligence and Modelling and School of Computer Science, University of Hull, Kingston upon Hull, United Kingdom
| | - S Hervas-Raluy
- Multiscale in Mechanical and Biological Engineering (M2BE), Aragon Institute of Engineering Research (I3A), Mechanical Engineering Department, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - D Sainz-DeMena
- Multiscale in Mechanical and Biological Engineering (M2BE), Aragon Institute of Engineering Research (I3A), Mechanical Engineering Department, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - D Walker
- Department of Computer Science and InsigneoInstitute for In Silico Medicine, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - R Chisholm
- Department of Computer Science and InsigneoInstitute for In Silico Medicine, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - P Richmond
- Department of Computer Science and InsigneoInstitute for In Silico Medicine, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - V Varella
- Department of Industrial Engineering, Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy; Medical Technology Lab, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, Bologna, Italy
| | - M Viceconti
- Department of Industrial Engineering, Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy; Medical Technology Lab, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, Bologna, Italy
| | - A Montero
- Chemotargets SL, Baldiri Reixac 4, Parc Cientific de Barcelona (PCB), Barcelona, Spain
| | - E Gregori-Puigjané
- Chemotargets SL, Baldiri Reixac 4, Parc Cientific de Barcelona (PCB), Barcelona, Spain
| | - J Mestres
- Chemotargets SL, Baldiri Reixac 4, Parc Cientific de Barcelona (PCB), Barcelona, Spain
| | - M Kasztelnik
- ACC Cyfronet, AGH University of Science and Technology, Kraków, Poland
| | - J M García-Aznar
- Multiscale in Mechanical and Biological Engineering (M2BE), Aragon Institute of Engineering Research (I3A), Mechanical Engineering Department, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain
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5
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Lima EABF, Song PN, Reeves K, Larimer B, Sorace AG, Yankeelov TE. Predicting response to combination evofosfamide and immunotherapy under hypoxic conditions in murine models of colon cancer. MATHEMATICAL BIOSCIENCES AND ENGINEERING : MBE 2023; 20:17625-17645. [PMID: 38052529 PMCID: PMC10703000 DOI: 10.3934/mbe.2023783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/07/2023]
Abstract
The goal of this study is to develop a mathematical model that captures the interaction between evofosfamide, immunotherapy, and the hypoxic landscape of the tumor in the treatment of tumors. Recently, we showed that evofosfamide, a hypoxia-activated prodrug, can synergistically improve treatment outcomes when combined with immunotherapy, while evofosfamide alone showed no effects in an in vivo syngeneic model of colorectal cancer. However, the mechanisms behind the interaction between the tumor microenvironment in the context of oxygenation (hypoxic, normoxic), immunotherapy, and tumor cells are not fully understood. To begin to understand this issue, we develop a system of ordinary differential equations to simulate the growth and decline of tumors and their vascularization (oxygenation) in response to treatment with evofosfamide and immunotherapy (6 combinations of scenarios). The model is calibrated to data from in vivo experiments on mice implanted with colon adenocarcinoma cells and longitudinally imaged with [18F]-fluoromisonidazole ([18F]FMISO) positron emission tomography (PET) to quantify hypoxia. The results show that evofosfamide is able to rescue the immune response and sensitize hypoxic tumors to immunotherapy. In the hypoxic scenario, evofosfamide reduces tumor burden by $ 45.07 \pm 2.55 $%, compared to immunotherapy alone, as measured by tumor volume. The model accurately predicts the temporal evolution of five different treatment scenarios, including control, hypoxic tumors that received immunotherapy, normoxic tumors that received immunotherapy, evofosfamide alone, and hypoxic tumors that received combination immunotherapy and evofosfamide. The average concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) between predicted and observed tumor volume is $ 0.86 \pm 0.05 $. Interestingly, the model values to fit those five treatment arms was unable to accurately predict the response of normoxic tumors to combination evofosfamide and immunotherapy (CCC = $ -0.064 \pm 0.003 $). However, guided by the sensitivity analysis to rank the most influential parameters on the tumor volume, we found that increasing the tumor death rate due to immunotherapy by a factor of $ 18.6 \pm 9.3 $ increases CCC of $ 0.981 \pm 0.001 $. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to mathematically predict and describe the increased efficacy of immunotherapy following evofosfamide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ernesto A. B. F. Lima
- Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, 201 East 24th St, Austin, TX 78712, USA
- Texas Advanced Computing Center, The University of Texas at Austin, 10100 Burnet Rd (R8700), Austin, TX 78758, USA
| | - Patrick N. Song
- Department of Radiology, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, 619 19th St S, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
- Graduate Biomedical Sciences, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1075 13th St S, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | - Kirsten Reeves
- Department of Radiology, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, 619 19th St S, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
- Graduate Biomedical Sciences, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1075 13th St S, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | - Benjamin Larimer
- Department of Radiology, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, 619 19th St S, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
- O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1824 6th Ave S, Birmingham, AL 35233, USA
| | - Anna G. Sorace
- Department of Radiology, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, 619 19th St S, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
- O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1824 6th Ave S, Birmingham, AL 35233, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1075 13th St S, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | - Thomas E. Yankeelov
- Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, 201 East 24th St, Austin, TX 78712, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, 1107 W. Dean Keeton St, Austin, TX 78712, USA
- Department of Diagnostic Medicine, The University of Texas at Austin, 1601 Trinity St Bldg B, Austin, TX 78712, USA
- Department of Oncology, The University of Texas at Austin, 1601 Trinity St Bldg B, Austin, TX 78712, USA
- Livestrong Cancer Institutes, Dell Medical School, The University of Texas at Austin, 623 W. 38th St Ste 300, Austin, TX 78705, USA
- Department of Imaging Physics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1400 Pressler St Unit 1472, Houston, TX 77030, USA
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6
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Duswald T, Lima EABF, Oden JT, Wohlmuth B. Bridging Scales: a Hybrid Model to Simulate Vascular Tumor Growth and Treatment Response. ARXIV 2023:arXiv:2306.05994v1. [PMID: 37332572 PMCID: PMC10274951] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/20/2023]
Abstract
Cancer is a disease driven by random DNA mutations and the interaction of many complex phenomena. To improve the understanding and ultimately find more effective treatments, researchers leverage computer simulations mimicking the tumor growth in silico. The challenge here is to account for the many phenomena influencing the disease progression and treatment protocols. This work introduces a computational model to simulate vascular tumor growth and the response to drug treatments in 3D. It consists of two agent-based models for the tumor cells and the vasculature. Moreover, partial differential equations govern the diffusive dynamics of the nutrients, the vascular endothelial growth factor, and two cancer drugs. The model focuses explicitly on breast cancer cells over-expressing HER2 receptors and a treatment combining standard chemotherapy (Doxorubicin) and monoclonal antibodies with anti-angiogenic properties (Trastuzumab). However, large parts of the model generalize to other scenarios. We show that the model qualitatively captures the effects of the combination therapy by comparing our simulation results with previously published pre-clinical data. Furthermore, we demonstrate the scalability of the model and the associated C++ code by simulating a vascular tumor occupying a volume of 400mm3 using a total of 92.5 million agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Duswald
- CERN, Geneva, Switzerland
- School for Computation, Information, and Technology, Technical Universtity of Munich, Germany
| | - Ernesto A B F Lima
- Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences, The Universtity of Texas at Austin, United States of America
- Texas Advanced Computing Center, The Universtity of Texas at Austin, United States of America
| | - J Tinsley Oden
- Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences, The Universtity of Texas at Austin, United States of America
| | - Barbara Wohlmuth
- School for Computation, Information, and Technology, Technical Universtity of Munich, Germany
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7
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Hervas-Raluy S, Wirthl B, Guerrero PE, Robalo Rei G, Nitzler J, Coronado E, Font de Mora Sainz J, Schrefler BA, Gomez-Benito MJ, Garcia-Aznar JM, Wall WA. Tumour growth: An approach to calibrate parameters of a multiphase porous media model based on in vitro observations of Neuroblastoma spheroid growth in a hydrogel microenvironment. Comput Biol Med 2023; 159:106895. [PMID: 37060771 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2023.106895] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2023] [Revised: 03/09/2023] [Accepted: 04/09/2023] [Indexed: 04/17/2023]
Abstract
To unravel processes that lead to the growth of solid tumours, it is necessary to link knowledge of cancer biology with the physical properties of the tumour and its interaction with the surrounding microenvironment. Our understanding of the underlying mechanisms is however still imprecise. We therefore developed computational physics-based models, which incorporate the interaction of the tumour with its surroundings based on the theory of porous media. However, the experimental validation of such models represents a challenge to its clinical use as a prognostic tool. This study combines a physics-based model with in vitro experiments based on microfluidic devices used to mimic a three-dimensional tumour microenvironment. By conducting a global sensitivity analysis, we identify the most influential input parameters and infer their posterior distribution based on Bayesian calibration. The resulting probability density is in agreement with the scattering of the experimental data and thus validates the proposed workflow. This study demonstrates the huge challenges associated with determining precise parameters with usually only limited data for such complex processes and models, but also demonstrates in general how to indirectly characterise the mechanical properties of neuroblastoma spheroids that cannot feasibly be measured experimentally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Hervas-Raluy
- Multiscale in Mechanical and Biological Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Zaragoza, Aragon Institute for Engineering Research (I3A), Maria de Luna 3, Zaragoza, 50018, Spain.
| | - Barbara Wirthl
- Institute for Computational Mechanics, Technical University of Munich, TUM School of Engineering and Design, Department of Engineering Physics & Computation, Boltzmannstraße 15, Garching b. Munich, 85748, Germany
| | - Pedro E Guerrero
- Multiscale in Mechanical and Biological Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Zaragoza, Aragon Institute for Engineering Research (I3A), Maria de Luna 3, Zaragoza, 50018, Spain
| | - Gil Robalo Rei
- Institute for Computational Mechanics, Technical University of Munich, TUM School of Engineering and Design, Department of Engineering Physics & Computation, Boltzmannstraße 15, Garching b. Munich, 85748, Germany
| | - Jonas Nitzler
- Institute for Computational Mechanics, Technical University of Munich, TUM School of Engineering and Design, Department of Engineering Physics & Computation, Boltzmannstraße 15, Garching b. Munich, 85748, Germany; Professorship for Data-Driven Materials Modeling, Technical University of Munich, TUM School of Engineering and Design, Department of Engineering Physics & Computation, Boltzmannstraße 15, Garching b. Munich, 85748, Germany
| | - Esther Coronado
- Clinical and Translational Oncology Research Group, Instituto de Investigación La Fe,, Fernando Abril Martorell 106, Valencia, 46026, Spain
| | - Jaime Font de Mora Sainz
- Clinical and Translational Oncology Research Group, Instituto de Investigación La Fe,, Fernando Abril Martorell 106, Valencia, 46026, Spain
| | - Bernhard A Schrefler
- Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, University of Padua, Marzolo 9, Padua, 35131, Italy; Institute for Advanced Study, Technical University of Munich, Boltzmannstraße 15, Garching b. Munich, 85748, Germany
| | - Maria Jose Gomez-Benito
- Multiscale in Mechanical and Biological Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Zaragoza, Aragon Institute for Engineering Research (I3A), Maria de Luna 3, Zaragoza, 50018, Spain
| | - Jose Manuel Garcia-Aznar
- Multiscale in Mechanical and Biological Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Zaragoza, Aragon Institute for Engineering Research (I3A), Maria de Luna 3, Zaragoza, 50018, Spain
| | - Wolfgang A Wall
- Institute for Computational Mechanics, Technical University of Munich, TUM School of Engineering and Design, Department of Engineering Physics & Computation, Boltzmannstraße 15, Garching b. Munich, 85748, Germany
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8
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Bergman D, Jackson TL. Phenotype switching in a global method for agent-based models of biological tissue. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0281672. [PMID: 36780481 PMCID: PMC9925070 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0281672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 01/28/2023] [Indexed: 02/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Agent-based models (ABMs) are an increasingly important tool for understanding the complexities presented by phenotypic and spatial heterogeneity in biological tissue. The resolution a modeler can achieve in these regards is unrivaled by other approaches. However, this comes at a steep computational cost limiting either the scale of such models or the ability to explore, parameterize, analyze, and apply them. When the models involve molecular-level dynamics, especially cell-specific dynamics, the limitations are compounded. We have developed a global method for solving these computationally expensive dynamics significantly decreases the computational time without altering the behavior of the system. Here, we extend this method to the case where cells can switch phenotypes in response to signals in the microenvironment. We find that the global method in this context preserves the temporal population dynamics and the spatial arrangements of the cells while requiring markedly less simulation time. We thus add a tool for efficiently simulating ABMs that captures key facets of the molecular and cellular dynamics in heterogeneous tissue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Bergman
- Department of Mathematics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States of America
| | - Trachette L. Jackson
- Department of Mathematics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States of America
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9
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Gonçalves IG, García-Aznar JM. Hybrid computational models of multicellular tumour growth considering glucose metabolism. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2023; 21:1262-1271. [PMID: 36814723 PMCID: PMC9939553 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2023.01.044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2022] [Revised: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer cells metabolize glucose through metabolic pathways that differ from those used by healthy and differentiated cells. In particular, tumours have been shown to consume more glucose than their healthy counterparts and to use anaerobic metabolic pathways, even under aerobic conditions. Nevertheless, scientists have still not been able to explain why cancer cells evolved to present an altered metabolism and what evolutionary advantage this might provide them. Experimental and computational models have been increasingly used in recent years to understand some of these biological questions. Multicellular tumour spheroids are effective experimental models as they replicate the initial stages of avascular solid tumour growth. Furthermore, these experiments generate data which can be used to calibrate and validate computational studies that aim to simulate tumour growth. Hybrid models are of particular relevance in this field of research because they model cells as individual agents while also incorporating continuum representations of the substances present in the surrounding microenvironment that may participate in intracellular metabolic networks as concentration or density distributions. Henceforth, in this review, we explore the potential of computational modelling to reveal the role of metabolic reprogramming in tumour growth.
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Key Words
- ABM, agent-based model
- ATP, adenosine triphosphate
- CA, cellular automata
- CPM, cellular Potts model
- ECM, extracellular matrix
- FBA, Flux Balance Analysis
- FDG-PET, [18F]-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography
- MCTS, multicellular tumour spheroids
- ODEs, ordinary differential equations
- PDEs, partial differential equations
- SBML, Systems Biology Markup Language
- Warburg effect
- agent-based models
- glucose metabolism
- hybrid modelling
- multicellular simulations
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Affiliation(s)
- Inês G. Gonçalves
- Multiscale in Mechanical and Biological Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Aragon Institute of Engineering Research (I3A), University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza 50018, Aragon, Spain
| | - José Manuel García-Aznar
- Multiscale in Mechanical and Biological Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Aragon Institute of Engineering Research (I3A), University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza 50018, Aragon, Spain
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10
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Viguerie A, Grave M, Barros GF, Lorenzo G, Reali A, Coutinho A. Data-Driven Simulation of Fisher-Kolmogorov Tumor Growth Models Using Dynamic Mode Decomposition. J Biomech Eng 2022; 144:1141945. [PMID: 35771166 DOI: 10.1115/1.4054925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The computer simulation of organ-scale biomechanistic models of cancer personalized via routinely collected clinical and imaging data enables to obtain patient-specific predictions of tumor growth and treatment response over the anatomy of the patient's affected organ. However, the simulation of the underlying spatiotemporal models can entail a prohibitive computational cost, which constitutes a barrier to the successful development of clinically-actionable computational technologies for personalized tumor forecasting. Here we propose to utilize Dynamic-Mode Decomposition (DMD), an unsupervised machine learning method, to construct a low-dimensional representation of cancer models and accelerate their simulation. We show that DMD may be applied to Fisher-Kolmogorov models, which constitute an established formulation to represent untreated solid tumor growth that can further accommodate other relevant cancer phenomena. Our results show that a DMD implementation of this model over a clinically-relevant parameter space can yield impressive predictions, with short to medium-term errors remaining under 1% and long-term errors remaining under 20%, despite very short training periods. In particular, we have found that, for moderate to high tumor cell diffusivity and low to moderate tumor cell proliferation rate, DMD reconstructions provide accurate, bounded-error reconstructions for all tested training periods. We posit that this data-driven approach has the potential to greatly reduce the computational overhead of personalized simulations of cancer models, thereby facilitating tumor forecasting, parameter identification, uncertainty quantification, and treatment optimization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex Viguerie
- Department of Mathematics, Gran Sasso Science Institute, Viale Francesco Crispi 7, L'Aquila, AQ 67100, Italy
| | - Malú Grave
- Dept. of Civil Engineering, COPPE/Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, P.O. Box 68506, RJ 21945-970, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Fundação Oswaldo Cruz - Fiocruz, Rua Waldemar Falcão 121, BA 40296-710, Salvador, Brazil
| | - Gabriel F Barros
- Dept. of Civil Engineering, COPPE/Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, P.O. Box 68506, RJ 21945-970, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Guillermo Lorenzo
- Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, 201 E. 24th Street, Austin, TX, 78712-1229, USA; Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile ed Architettura, Università di Pavia, Via Ferrata 3, Pavia, PV 27100, Italy
| | - Alessandro Reali
- Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile ed Architettura, Università di Pavia, Via Ferrata 3, Pavia, PV 27100, Italy
| | - Alvaro Coutinho
- Dept. of Civil Engineering, COPPE/Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, P.O. Box 68506, RJ 21945-970, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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