Spatio-temporal dynamics of M 1 and M 2 macrophages in a multiphase model of tumor growth
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This study investigates the complex dynamics of vascular tumors and their interplay with macrophages, key agents of the innate immune response. We model the tumor microenvironment as a multiphase fluid, with each cellular population treated as a distinct, non-mixing phase. The framework also incorporates diffusible species that are critical for processes such as nutrient transport, angio-genesis, chemotaxis, and macrophage activation. Numerical simulations of our model show how phenotypic and spatial heterogeneity in the macrophage population arises and how such heterogeneity impacts a tumor’s growth dynamics. Finally, we propose an immunotherapeutic strategy based on the experimental agent vactosertib which promotes an anti-tumor macrophage phenotype. Our simulations demonstrate an increased density of anti-tumor macrophages over the period of a few months, followed by a relapse period where the tumor regains its original dynamics.
