Modelling cancer cell budding in-vitro as a self-organised, non-equilibrium growth process

Area of Science:

• Biophysics
• Cancer Biology
• Developmental Biology

Background:

• Tissue self-organization is crucial for organ development.
• Cancer cells often lose normal tissue structure but maintain multicellular organization (spheroids, strands, buds).
• Tumor budding is associated with invasive behavior, but underlying physical principles are unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To experimentally characterize glioblastoma budding from monolayers.
• To develop a theoretical model for glioblastoma budding as a topological transition.
• To understand the physical forces governing tumor self-organization and invasion.

Main Methods:

• In-vitro experiments on glioblastoma cell monolayers.
• Theoretical modeling of self-organized, non-equilibrium phenomena.
• Finite element implementation of the theoretical model.

Main Results:

• Glioblastoma budding was characterized as a process driven by mechanical forces and cell adhesion.
• The topological transition was modeled as a trade-off between cell-cell and cell-substrate interactions.
• Uncontrolled proliferation emerged as complex spatio-temporal patterns following a universal law.

Conclusions:

• Glioblastoma budding is a self-organized phenomenon governed by physical principles.
• Mechanical forces and adhesion dynamics play a key role in tumor invasion.
• Tumor growth patterns exhibit statistical universality, offering insights into cancer progression.