Physics (Internal)

"The mode and predictability of intra-tumour evolution"

This event is part of the Biophysics Seminars. 12:30PM.

Intra-tumour genetic heterogeneity is a product of evolution in spatially structured populations of cells. Whereas genetic heterogeneity has been proposed as a prognostic biomarker in cancer, its spatially dynamic nature makes accurate prediction of tumor progression challenging. Progressing from the Eden growth model to spatial versions of the Moran process, I will characterize how tissue architecture influences the potential for subclonal population growth, the prevalence of clonal sweeps, and the resulting pattern of intratumour heterogeneity. Based on computational simulations, I will further describe the conditions under which genetic diversity is most predictive of future tumour states. These findings help explain the multiformity of tumour evolution and contribute to establishing a theoretical foundation for predictive oncology.