Physics of cancer: Building multi-scale mathematical models to decode mechanisms of cancer metastasis and therapy resistance

Faculty: Mohit Kumar Jolly (Bioengineering), Ramray Bhat (Developmental Biology & Genetics)

Cancer metastasis involves various reciprocal interactions among malignant epithelial cells, and extracellular matrix at biochemical and/or biomechanical levels. The invasion patterns shown by cancer cells can come in different morphologies – solitary mesenchymal cells, multicellular collectives, and a combination of the two. How such emergent dynamics emerge from the interconnections among cancer cells and their surroundings – through factors such as cell-cell adhesion, cell-matrix adhesion, reaction-diffusion based signaling dynamics etc. – remains unclear.

This project involves developing 3D multi-scale mathematical models to understand the physical principles that cancer cells follow while migrating solitarily or collectively, or switching/shuttling between these migration modes. A Cellular Potts-based modeling environment will be used to integrate various input parameters and characterize their effect on cancer cell migration such as leader-follower cell dynamics and glass-like behaviour.

Acquisition of metastatic abilities often associates with resistance to various therapies (chemotherapy, targeted therapy etc.), but the mechanisms of those interconnections at cellular and tissue level scenarios remains poorly understood. This project also entails using these models to explain experimental spatial data on drug resistance.