Simulating Solid Tumors with a Microenvironment-Coupled Agent-Based Computational Model

Abstract

In this paper, we introduce a three-dimensional lattice-based computational model in which every lattice point can be occupied by an agent of various types (e.g. cancer cell, blood vessel cell or extracellular matrix). The behavior of agents can be associated to different chemical compounds that obey mass-transfer laws such as diffusion and decay in the surrounding environment. Furthermore, agents are also able to produce and consume chemical compounds. After a detailed description, the capabilities of the model are demonstrated by presenting and discussing a simulation of a biological experiment available in the literature.