Modeling invasion patterns in the glioblastoma battlefield

Abstract

Glioblastoma is the most aggressive tumor of the central nervous system, due to its great infiltration capacity. Understanding the mechanisms that regulate the Glioblastoma invasion front is a major challenge with preeminent potential clinical relevance. In the in1ltration front, the key features of its dynamics relate to biochemical and biomechanical aspects, which result in extended cellular protrusions, known as tumor microtubes. The coordination of metalloproteinase expression, extracellular matrix degradation, and integrin activity emerges as leading mechanism that facilitates Glioblastoma expansion and in1ltration in uncontaminated brain regions. We propose a novel multidisciplinary approach, based on in vivo experiments in Drosophila and mathematical models, for the proteins dynamics at the front of Glioblastoma, with a predictive value of the tumor progression.