Computational Methods and Results for Structured Multiscale Models of Tumor Invasion

Abstract

We present multiscale models of cancer tumor invasion with components at the molecular, cellular, and tissue levels. We provide biological justifications for the model components, present computational results from the models, and discuss the scientific-computing methodology used to solve the model equations. The models and methodology presented in this paper form the basis for developing and treating increasingly complex, mechanistic models of tumor invasion that will be more predictive and less phenomenological. Because many of the features of the cancer models, such as taxis, aging, and growth, are seen in other biological systems, the models and methods discussed here also provide a template for handling a broader range of biological problems.