Multiscale modelling of acid-mediated cancer cell migration with random dynamics

• Applicant: Professorin Dr. Christina Surulescu
• Subject Area: Mathematics
• Term: from 2013 to 2016
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 241847706

The focus of the project is on the mathematical modelling of biological phenomena related to acid-mediated cancer cell migration. Both qualitative and quantitative aspects of the resulting models are studied - using and (whenever required) improving available techniques of mathematical and stochastic analysis as well as numerical methods.Although our mathematical models will be set up for concrete biological questions, the main concern here is not to provide a quantitatively accurate explanation of biological data upon extracting the system's parameters, but rather to propose an adequate mathematical framework which lays the foundations for verifying experimentally observed (mainly qualitative) features. The special emphasis here is on the influence of intra- and extracellular pH on the migratory behaviour of tumour cells. The models have a multiscale character, linking the subcellular, microscopic level with the mesoscale of cell-cell and cell-tissue interactions and eventually with the cell population dynamics on the macroscale.A novel feature will be to model the dynamics on the microscopic scale in terms of stochastic or random differential equations (SDEs resp. RODEs). It is also expected that our modelling approaches offer new perspectives on the investigated processes and suggest new ideas for experimental setups.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Participating Person: Professor Dr. Peter E. Kloeden