Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2002;5(3):203-14.
doi: 10.1023/a:1023841921971.

A computer algorithm describing the process of vessel formation and maturation, and its use for predicting the effects of anti-angiogenic and anti-maturation therapy on vascular tumor growth

Affiliations

A computer algorithm describing the process of vessel formation and maturation, and its use for predicting the effects of anti-angiogenic and anti-maturation therapy on vascular tumor growth

L Arakelyan et al. Angiogenesis. 2002.

Abstract

We put forward an algorithm describing the three principal interconnected sub-processes that influence tumor and vasculature dynamics: (i) tumor cell proliferation (ii) angiogenesis, that is, the formation and regression of immature vessels (IV), and (iii) maturation, i.e., the formation and destabilization of mature vessels (MV). This algorithm takes account of the crucial quantitative interactions of these sub-processes, occurring across the molecular, cellular and organ levels. Implementing this complex algorithm in a computer model, one can evaluate the correlations between various factors influencing angiogenesis and their influence on tumor progression at any given moment. Moreover, the computer simulations enable analysis of the versatile effects of drugs on the growth and decay of both the tumor and the immature and mature blood vessels, as well as on the induction of an array of relevant growth factors such as angiopoietin-1 (Ang1), angiopoietin-2 (Ang2), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF). Simulation results suggest that vessel maturation and destabilization of MV drive the otherwise non-linearly growing system into a very dynamic region, having irregular, scale-invariant, fluctuations, around certain asymptotic values of all the involved quantities. Destabilization itself adequately explains the experimentally observed eventual decrease of tumor growth, with no need to implicate additional assumptions, such as a new tumor growth inhibitory, or anti-angiogenic, factors. Our results further suggest that mono-therapy alone can slow tumor growth, but is not capable of eliminating it altogether. In contrast, the combined treatment of anti-angiogenic and anti-maturation drugs causes prolonged suppression of tumor growth and a significant linear decrease in average tumor size. Laboratory experiments are warranted for validating our predictions and for providing in vivo evaluated parameters.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

Cited by

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances

LinkOut - more resources