Yan Cai^1,2,3, Jie Wu⁴, Zhiyong Li^1,2

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.12, No.4, pp. 231-248, 2015, DOI:10.3970/mcb.2015.012.231

Abstract We propose a coupled mathematical model for the detailed quantitative analyses of initial microtumour and micrometastases formation by including cancer cell migration, host vessel cooption and changes in microenvironment. Migrating cells are included as a new phenotype to describe the migration behaviour of malignant tumour cells. Migration probability of a migrating cell is assumed to be influenced by local chemical microenvironment. Pre-existing vessel cooption and remodelling are introduced according to the local haemodynamical microenvironment, such as interstitial pressure and vessel wall permeability. After the tumour cells and tumour vessels distribution are updated, the chemical substances are coupled calculated with the… More >

Jie Wu^∗,†, Yan Cai^‡, Shixiong Xu^§, Quan Long^¶, Zurong Ding^*, Cheng Dong^∗,||

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.9, No.2, pp. 95-126, 2012, DOI:10.3970/mcb.2012.009.095

Abstract The effects of vascular-disrupting treatments on normalization of tumor microvasculature and its microenvironmental flow were investigated, by mathematical modeling and numerical simulation of tumor vascular-disrupting and tumor haemodynamics. Four disrupting approaches were designed according to the abnormal characteristics of tumor microvasculature compared with the normal one. The results predict that the vascular-disrupting therapies could improve tumor microenvironment, eliminate drug barrier and inhibit metastasis of tumor cells to some extent. Disrupting certain types of vessels may get better effects. In this study, the flow condition on the networks with "vascular-disrupting according to flowrate" is the best comparing with the other three… More >

Shile Liang^†, Meghan Hoskins^†, Cheng Dong^‡

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.7, No.2, pp. 77-91, 2010, DOI:10.3970/mcb.2010.007.077

Abstract To complete the metastatic journey, cancer cells have to disseminate through the circulation and extravasate to distal organs. However, the extravasation process, by which tumor cells leave a blood vessel and invade the surrounding tissue from the microcirculation, remains poorly understood at the molecular level. In this study, tumor cell adhesion to the endothelium (EC) and subsequent extravasation were investigated under various flow conditions. Results have shown polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) facilitate melanoma cell adhesion to the EC and subsequent extravasation by a shear-rate dependent mechanism. Melanoma cell-PMN interactions are mediated by the binding between intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) on melanoma… More >