Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 13, 2025
10:51
3D Cell-Printed Hypoxic Cancer-on-a-Chip for Recapitulating Pathologic Progression of Solid Cancer
Published on: January 5, 2021
4.8K
An Insight into Cancer Cells and Disease Progression Through the Lens of Mathematical Modeling.
Polychronis Michalakis1, Dimitra Vasilaki2, Ali Jihad Abdallah2
1Faculty of Health Sciences, European University of Cyprus, Nicosia 2404, Cyprus.
Current Issues in Molecular Biology
|July 29, 2025
Summary
Cancer cells exhibit altered mechanical properties due to biochemical-biomechanical interactions, influencing their malignant progression. This review explores mathematical models of cancer mechanobiology to understand these changes.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Biophysics
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Cancer initiation involves genetic mutations and altered cellular processes, leading to hallmarks of cancer.
- Physiological, metabolic, and environmental factors influence cancer development, affecting cell cycle and motility.
- Cancer cells display distinct organelle differences and require activated biochemical pathways for progression.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the mathematical relationships governing cancer mechanobiology.
- To examine how altered mechanical properties of cancer cells influence malignant progression.
Main Methods:
- Literature review focusing on cancer mechanobiology.
- Analysis of mathematical models describing biochemical-biomechanical interactions in cancer.
Main Results:
- Cancer progression is influenced by a continuous interplay between biochemical and biomechanical cues.
- Altered mechanical properties of cancer cells are integral to their malignant behavior.
- Mathematical frameworks are crucial for understanding the mechanobiology of cancer.
Conclusions:
- Understanding the mathematical underpinnings of cancer mechanobiology is essential.
- Investigating the mechanical properties of cancer cells offers insights into malignancy.
- Biochemical-biomechanical interactions are key determinants of cancer cell fate and behavior.
Related Concept Videos
02:07Tumor Progression
6.5K
Tumor progression is a phenomenon where the pre-formed tumor acquires successive mutations to become clinically more aggressive and malignant. In the 1950s, Foulds first described the stepwise progression of cancer cells through successive stages.
Colon cancer is one of the best-documented examples of tumor progression. Early mutation in the APC gene in colon cells causes a small growth on the colon wall called a polyp. With time, this polyp grows into a benign, pre-cancerous tumor. Further...
Colon cancer is one of the best-documented examples of tumor progression. Early mutation in the APC gene in colon cells causes a small growth on the colon wall called a polyp. With time, this polyp grows into a benign, pre-cancerous tumor. Further...
6.5K
02:53Adaptive Mechanisms in Cancer Cells
5.9K
Cancer cells accumulate genetic changes at an abnormally rapid rate due to the defects in the DNA repair mechanisms. From an evolutionary perspective, such genetic instability is advantageous for cancer development. Mutant cell lines accumulate a series of beneficial mutations that contribute to their progression into cancer.
Some of the advantages that cancer cells have on normal cells include - enhanced ability to divide without terminally differentiating, induce new blood vessel formation,...
Some of the advantages that cancer cells have on normal cells include - enhanced ability to divide without terminally differentiating, induce new blood vessel formation,...
5.9K
01:21Cancer Survival Analysis
456
Cancer survival analysis focuses on quantifying and interpreting the time from a key starting point, such as diagnosis or the initiation of treatment, to a specific endpoint, such as remission or death. This analysis provides critical insights into treatment effectiveness and factors that influence patient outcomes, helping to shape clinical decisions and guide prognostic evaluations. A cornerstone of oncology research, survival analysis tackles the challenges of skewed, non-normally...
456
02:18Cancer
49.6K
Cancers arise due to mutations in genes involved in the regulation of cell division, which leads to unrestricted cell proliferation. Modern science and medicine have made great strides in the understanding and treatment of cancer, including eradicating cancer in some patients. However, there is still no cure for cancer. This is largely due to the fact that cancer is a large group of many diseases.
49.6K
02:12What is Cancer?
11.2K
Cells and tissues must meticulously coordinate their activities for the normal functioning of the human body. Therefore, they exhibit socially responsible behavior - resting, growing, dividing, differentiating, or dying - for the organism’s benefit. Cancer arises when cells divide uncontrollably and invade other tissues or organs.
Although people have known about cancer for centuries, it was only in 1761 that Giovanni Morgagni of Padua performed a detailed autopsy of...
Although people have known about cancer for centuries, it was only in 1761 that Giovanni Morgagni of Padua performed a detailed autopsy of...
11.2K
02:40Cancer Stem Cells and Tumor Maintenance
5.0K
Early diagnosis and treatment can often cure cancer. However, even with treatment, residual cells called cancer stem cells (CSC) might remain, often causing tumor recurrence. These cancer stem cells possess the potential for self-renewal and multi-lineage differentiation and are often responsible for the therapeutic resistance displayed in most cancers.
Cancer stem cells are thought to originate from tissue-specific normal stem cells or progenitor cells. The normal stem cells usually reside in...
Cancer stem cells are thought to originate from tissue-specific normal stem cells or progenitor cells. The normal stem cells usually reside in...
5.0K