European Conference on Mathematical and Theoretical Biology (ECMTB 2026)

Temporal Fluctuations in the Tumor Microenvironment and Their Influence on Cancer Progression

Not scheduled

20m

University of Graz

Minisymposium Mathematical Oncology Temporal Fluctuations in the Tumor Microenvironment and Their Influence on Cancer Progression

Speakers

Giulia L Celora (Univesity of Oxford) Gopinath Sadhu (Indian Institute of Science Bangalore) Jason Thomas George (Texas A&M University) Ryan J Murphy (Adelaide University)

Description

Tumor microenvironmental factors change over time, and these factors include hypoxia and the extracellular matrix (ECM). Experimental studies demonstrated that oxygen levels fluctuate between normoxic and hypoxic levels, a phenomenon known as cyclic hypoxia. This fluctuation facilitates intratumoral cellular heterogeneity. However, how cyclic hypoxia shapes the landscape of tumor invasion is not yet fully understood. The ECM also plays a crucial role in tumor invasion and the infiltration of immune cells. Numerous studies reported that ECM density evolves as a dynamic property. It is essential to investigate how the temporal heterogeneity of the ECM influences tumor progression and immune infiltration.
Mathematical models and other computational tools have become an essential tool for describing the evolutionary dynamics of cancer, from agent-based models to partial differential equations. Assessing how temporal variations in tumor microenvironmental factors influence phenotypic switching, invasion dynamics, and immune infiltration is crucial for understanding the complete picture of cancer progression.

Bibliography

Celora, Giulia L., et al. “Characterising Cancer Cell Responses to Cyclic Hypoxia Using Mathematical Modelling.” Bulletin of Mathematical Biology, vol. 86, no. 12, Dec. 2024, p. 145. DOI.org (Crossref), https://doi.org/10.1007/s11538-024-01359-0.

Murphy, Ryan J., et al. “Growth and Adaptation Mechanisms of Tumour Spheroids with Time-Dependent Oxygen Availability.” PLOS Computational Biology, edited by Philip K. Maini, vol. 19, no. 1, Jan. 2023, p. e1010833. DOI.org (Crossref), https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1010833.

Sadhu, Gopinath, et al. “A Phenotype-Structured PDE Framework for Investigating the Role of Hypoxic Memory on Tumor Invasion under Cyclic Hypoxia.” Bulletin of Mathematical Biology, vol. 88, no. 2, Feb. 2026, p. 23. DOI.org (Crossref), https://doi.org/10.1007/s11538-025-01591-2.

Fan, Yijia, et al. “Regulatory network and spatial modeling reveal cooperative mechanisms of resistance and immune escape in ER+ breast cancer.” bioRxiv, Oct. 2025, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.09.30.679692