Environmental and genetic mutations can transform the cells in a co-operating healthy tissue into... more Environmental and genetic mutations can transform the cells in a co-operating healthy tissue into an ecosystem of individualistic tumour cells that compete for space and resources [1, 2, 3]. If we consider a tumour as an ecosystem it is possible to utilise tools traditionally used by ecologists to study the evolution of a population in which there is some degree of phenotypical diversity. One such tool is evolutionary game theory (EGT) which merges traditional game theory with population biology [4].
Abstract. Tumour cells have to acquire a number of capabilities if a neoplasm is to become a canc... more Abstract. Tumour cells have to acquire a number of capabilities if a neoplasm is to become a cancer. One of these key capabilities is increased motility which is needed for invasion of other tissues and metastasis. This paper presents a qualitative mathematical model based on game theory and computer simulations using cellular automata. With this model we study the circumstances under which mutations that confer increased motility to cells can spread through a tumour made of rapidly proliferating cells.
Abstract: In recent years two different models of circulating tumor cell (CTC) dynamics have been... more Abstract: In recent years two different models of circulating tumor cell (CTC) dynamics have been proposed to explain the experimentally shown phenomenon on tumor'self-seeding', whereby CTCs repopulate the primary tumor site and accelerate growth.
Abstract. The developmental processes studied by biologists are emergent self organised processes... more Abstract. The developmental processes studied by biologists are emergent self organised processes that are the result of natural evolution. Developmental biology can be a good inspiration for anyone interested in evolving self organised discrete systems like Cellular Automata: nature has proved that evolving self organisation is possible. In this paper, we will describe EmbryoCA, a model of 3D Cellular Automata for pattern generation.
Background: Tumours are made up of a mixed population of different types of cells that include no... more Background: Tumours are made up of a mixed population of different types of cells that include normal structures as well as ones associated with the malignancy, and there are multiple interactions between the malignant cells and the local microenvironment. These intercellular interactions, modulated by the microenvironment, effect tumour progression and represent a largely under-appreciated therapeutic target. We use observations of primary tumour biology from prostate cancer to extrapolate a mathematical model.
Dear Editor: The past 2 years have seen a flurry of activity surrounding the 2008 discovery of a ... more Dear Editor: The past 2 years have seen a flurry of activity surrounding the 2008 discovery of a conserved mutation in isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) in 75% of grade II and III gliomas and a small fraction (12%) of grade IV glioblastomas that putatively arose from lower-grade precursors. 1 It was found also that the secondary glioblastomas carrying this mutation had a very different natural history, typically being found in younger patients and carrying a much better prognosis.
Abstract: Cancer is usually understood as the disruption of the homeostasis that characterises he... more Abstract: Cancer is usually understood as the disruption of the homeostasis that characterises healthy tissue. Despite its importance, this disruption of homeostasis disruption is not yet well understood. Compounded with this is the fact that tissues are organised around hierarchical structures with stem cells giving rise to cells with different degrees of differentiation and that cancers have been posited to follow this same hierarchy as well: the so-called Cancer Stem Cell Hypothesis.
Abstract We describe a general approach to obtaining 3D microstructures as input to computer simu... more Abstract We describe a general approach to obtaining 3D microstructures as input to computer simulations of materials properties. We introduce a program called MicroConstructor, that takes 2D micrographs and generates 3D discrete computer microstructures which are statistically equivalent in terms of the microstructural variables of interest. The basis of the code is a genetic algorithm that evolves the 3D microstructure so that its stereological parameters match the 2D data.
The properties of engineering structures such as cars, cell phones or bridges rely on materials a... more The properties of engineering structures such as cars, cell phones or bridges rely on materials and on the properties of these materials. The study of these properties, which are determined by the internal architecture of the material or microstructure, has significant importance for material scientists. One of the things needed for this study is a tool that can create microstructural patterns. In this paper we explore the use of a genetic algorithm to evolve the rules of an effector automata to recreate these microstructural patterns.
Abstract—Prostatic adenocarcinomas are complex diseases in which progression towards malignancy d... more Abstract—Prostatic adenocarcinomas are complex diseases in which progression towards malignancy depends the interactions of tumour cells with stroma and the microenvironment as much as on the genetic mutations that enable those tumour cells to escape homeostatic control. In this abstract we introduce a hybrid discrete-continuum cellular automaton model (HCA) to study the role of cell-cell interactions mediated via extrinsic factors such as TGF-β to explain different stages of prostate tumour progression.
The study of evolvable mechanisms capable of generating rich patterns is interesting for research... more The study of evolvable mechanisms capable of generating rich patterns is interesting for researchers working in different scientific fields. One example is the work to use evolution to find spatial three dimensional (3D) patterns since those patterns can be used to characterise microstructures for its use by material scientists (Basanta et al., 2004).
Abstract The properties of engineering structures, such as robotic arms, aircrafts or bridges, re... more Abstract The properties of engineering structures, such as robotic arms, aircrafts or bridges, rely on the properties of the materials used to build them. The internal architecture of the material or microstructure determines its properties and therefore, its study is of great interest for engineers and material scientists. Although there are tools that can provide 2D microstructural information, tools that can be used to obtain 3D characterisations of microstructures for routine analysis are not yet available to material scientists.
Abstract This thesis presents a novel approach to obtain characterisations of microstructures of ... more Abstract This thesis presents a novel approach to obtain characterisations of microstructures of materials in two and three dimensions, starting from morphological information that can be obtained from a conventional microscope. The reconstructions obtained can be used as starting configurations of computer models of various kinds and used to help predict the properties of the materials.
We have implemented a hybrid cellular automata (HCA) model based upon the structure of human pros... more We have implemented a hybrid cellular automata (HCA) model based upon the structure of human prostate that recapitulates key interactions in nascent tumor foci between tumor cells and adjacent stroma. Model simulations demonstrate how stochastic interactions between tumor cells ...
Environmental and genetic mutations can transform the cells in a co-operating healthy tissue into... more Environmental and genetic mutations can transform the cells in a co-operating healthy tissue into an ecosystem of individualistic tumour cells that compete for space and resources [1, 2, 3]. If we consider a tumour as an ecosystem it is possible to utilise tools traditionally used by ecologists to study the evolution of a population in which there is some degree of phenotypical diversity. One such tool is evolutionary game theory (EGT) which merges traditional game theory with population biology [4].
Abstract. Tumour cells have to acquire a number of capabilities if a neoplasm is to become a canc... more Abstract. Tumour cells have to acquire a number of capabilities if a neoplasm is to become a cancer. One of these key capabilities is increased motility which is needed for invasion of other tissues and metastasis. This paper presents a qualitative mathematical model based on game theory and computer simulations using cellular automata. With this model we study the circumstances under which mutations that confer increased motility to cells can spread through a tumour made of rapidly proliferating cells.
Abstract: In recent years two different models of circulating tumor cell (CTC) dynamics have been... more Abstract: In recent years two different models of circulating tumor cell (CTC) dynamics have been proposed to explain the experimentally shown phenomenon on tumor'self-seeding', whereby CTCs repopulate the primary tumor site and accelerate growth.
Abstract. The developmental processes studied by biologists are emergent self organised processes... more Abstract. The developmental processes studied by biologists are emergent self organised processes that are the result of natural evolution. Developmental biology can be a good inspiration for anyone interested in evolving self organised discrete systems like Cellular Automata: nature has proved that evolving self organisation is possible. In this paper, we will describe EmbryoCA, a model of 3D Cellular Automata for pattern generation.
Background: Tumours are made up of a mixed population of different types of cells that include no... more Background: Tumours are made up of a mixed population of different types of cells that include normal structures as well as ones associated with the malignancy, and there are multiple interactions between the malignant cells and the local microenvironment. These intercellular interactions, modulated by the microenvironment, effect tumour progression and represent a largely under-appreciated therapeutic target. We use observations of primary tumour biology from prostate cancer to extrapolate a mathematical model.
Dear Editor: The past 2 years have seen a flurry of activity surrounding the 2008 discovery of a ... more Dear Editor: The past 2 years have seen a flurry of activity surrounding the 2008 discovery of a conserved mutation in isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) in 75% of grade II and III gliomas and a small fraction (12%) of grade IV glioblastomas that putatively arose from lower-grade precursors. 1 It was found also that the secondary glioblastomas carrying this mutation had a very different natural history, typically being found in younger patients and carrying a much better prognosis.
Abstract: Cancer is usually understood as the disruption of the homeostasis that characterises he... more Abstract: Cancer is usually understood as the disruption of the homeostasis that characterises healthy tissue. Despite its importance, this disruption of homeostasis disruption is not yet well understood. Compounded with this is the fact that tissues are organised around hierarchical structures with stem cells giving rise to cells with different degrees of differentiation and that cancers have been posited to follow this same hierarchy as well: the so-called Cancer Stem Cell Hypothesis.
Abstract We describe a general approach to obtaining 3D microstructures as input to computer simu... more Abstract We describe a general approach to obtaining 3D microstructures as input to computer simulations of materials properties. We introduce a program called MicroConstructor, that takes 2D micrographs and generates 3D discrete computer microstructures which are statistically equivalent in terms of the microstructural variables of interest. The basis of the code is a genetic algorithm that evolves the 3D microstructure so that its stereological parameters match the 2D data.
The properties of engineering structures such as cars, cell phones or bridges rely on materials a... more The properties of engineering structures such as cars, cell phones or bridges rely on materials and on the properties of these materials. The study of these properties, which are determined by the internal architecture of the material or microstructure, has significant importance for material scientists. One of the things needed for this study is a tool that can create microstructural patterns. In this paper we explore the use of a genetic algorithm to evolve the rules of an effector automata to recreate these microstructural patterns.
Abstract—Prostatic adenocarcinomas are complex diseases in which progression towards malignancy d... more Abstract—Prostatic adenocarcinomas are complex diseases in which progression towards malignancy depends the interactions of tumour cells with stroma and the microenvironment as much as on the genetic mutations that enable those tumour cells to escape homeostatic control. In this abstract we introduce a hybrid discrete-continuum cellular automaton model (HCA) to study the role of cell-cell interactions mediated via extrinsic factors such as TGF-β to explain different stages of prostate tumour progression.
The study of evolvable mechanisms capable of generating rich patterns is interesting for research... more The study of evolvable mechanisms capable of generating rich patterns is interesting for researchers working in different scientific fields. One example is the work to use evolution to find spatial three dimensional (3D) patterns since those patterns can be used to characterise microstructures for its use by material scientists (Basanta et al., 2004).
Abstract The properties of engineering structures, such as robotic arms, aircrafts or bridges, re... more Abstract The properties of engineering structures, such as robotic arms, aircrafts or bridges, rely on the properties of the materials used to build them. The internal architecture of the material or microstructure determines its properties and therefore, its study is of great interest for engineers and material scientists. Although there are tools that can provide 2D microstructural information, tools that can be used to obtain 3D characterisations of microstructures for routine analysis are not yet available to material scientists.
Abstract This thesis presents a novel approach to obtain characterisations of microstructures of ... more Abstract This thesis presents a novel approach to obtain characterisations of microstructures of materials in two and three dimensions, starting from morphological information that can be obtained from a conventional microscope. The reconstructions obtained can be used as starting configurations of computer models of various kinds and used to help predict the properties of the materials.
We have implemented a hybrid cellular automata (HCA) model based upon the structure of human pros... more We have implemented a hybrid cellular automata (HCA) model based upon the structure of human prostate that recapitulates key interactions in nascent tumor foci between tumor cells and adjacent stroma. Model simulations demonstrate how stochastic interactions between tumor cells ...
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