Modelling the Birth of Transformation Foci in Cell Culture

In vitro tests are very useful tools to assess the carcinogenic effects of chemicals and the effectiveness of drugs and chemopreventive agents. A cellular automata model of the birth of so-called transformation foci is presented here, based upon biological knowledge about the process of cell transformation, which is the in vitro analogue of tumor formation. The model describes the dynamics of the process, and it provides indications concerning the dependence of the number of foci upon the number of cells that have been initially seeded.

It is shown that the model can account for known experimental data ; moreover, different model versions lead to different scaling behaviours, which seem compatible with the results obtained by using different experimental protocols.

This line of research appears therefore able to provide useful information to interprete the results of in vitro tests, and to suggest further experiments.