Measuring as a New Mode of Inquiry That Bridges Evolutionary Game Theory and Cancer Biology

Abstract

We show that as game theory was transferred from mathematical oncology to experimental cancer biology, a new mode of inquiry was created. Modeling was replaced by measuring. The game measured by a game assay can serve as a bridge that allows knowledge to flow backwards from target (cancer research) to source (game theory). Our finding suggests that the conformist and creative (Houkes and Zwart 2019) types of transfer need to be augmented. We conclude by introducing the expansive and transformative types to get a four-tier typology of knowledge transfer.

Validation of polymorphic Gompertzian model of cancer throughin vitroandin vivodata

“…With the polymorphic Gompertzian model, we took a conceptually different approach to the analysis of the Kaznatcheev et al [30] in vitro data. Kaznatcheev et al [30] specifically designed a new experimental procedure as a way to measure a competition/fitness matrix [42] that allowed for two distinct fitness functions for the sensitive and resistant cell types. We showed that the polymorphic Gompertzian model could describe this well with a growth rate ρ that is the same for the sensitive and resistant types.…”

Good theory from bad ingredients?

“…A third purpose of scientific theories is to unify seemingly unrelated observations and phenomena. By providing a framework for understanding how different phenomena are related, scientific theories help create a unified understanding of the natural world and facilitate knowledge-transfer between fields (Herfeld & Lisciandra, 2019;Kaznatcheev & Lin, 2022;Cheng et al, 2023). When different areas and phenomena within a single field (e.g., electricity and magnetism) or different fields of science (e.g., genetics and ecology) are unified under a single theory, it becomes easier for their respective researchers to collaborate and share insights.…”