Predicting the results of competition between two breast cancer lines grown in 3-D spheroid culture

• Published in: Mathematical biosciences 2021-06, Vol.336, p.108575-108575, Article 108575
• Main Authors: Rodriguez Messan, Marisabel, Damaghi, Mehdi, Freischel, Audrey, Miao, Yan, Brown, Joel, Gillies, Robert, Wallace, Dorothy
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biotechnology; Breast cancer; Cancer cells; Cell culture; Competition; Initial conditions; Mathematical model; MCF-7; MDA-MB-231; Mobility; Monoculture; Numerical simulation; Species extinction; Spheroid 3D culture; Tumor cell lines
• ISSN: 0025-5564; 1879-3134
• DOI: 10.1016/j.mbs.2021.108575

This study develops a novel model of a consumer–resource system with mobility included, in order to explain a novel experiment of competition between two breast cancer cell lines grown in 3D in vitro spheroid culture. The model reproduces observed differences in monoculture, such as overshoot phenomena and final size. It also explains both theoretically and through simulation the inevitable triumph of the same cell line in co-culture, independent of initial conditions. The mobility of one cell line (MDA-MB-231) is required to explain both the success and the rapidity with which that species dominates the population and drives the other species (MCF-7) to extinction. It is shown that mobility directly interferes with the other species and that the cost of that mobility is in resource usage rate. •Model offers multiple sources of competition between two breast cancer cell lines.•Model shows MDA-MB-231 always outcompetes MCF-7 (co-cultured in vitro spheroid).•Model explains the high mobility of one specie observed in experimental data.