{"id":{"repo_id":"dundee","oai_identifier":"oai:discovery.dundee.ac.uk:studenttheses/94ea4aba-556e-4b08-a62e-a5000ce8bfe3"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/dundee/oai:discovery.dundee.ac.uk:studenttheses/94ea4aba-556e-4b08-a62e-a5000ce8bfe3","repository":{"repo_id":"dundee","name":"University of Dundee","base_url":"https://discovery.dundee.ac.uk/ws/oai"},"display":{"title":"Mathematical Modelling of Cancer Growth and Development: Adhesion, Stem Cells and Structure","abstract":"This thesis has investigated some of the intricacies of the growth and development of a solid tumour. Mathematical models and biological experimentation were used to gain a better understanding of the dual roles that the proto-oncogenic protein β-catenin has in adhesion and transcription, as well as its involvement in the epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Emphasis was placed on the spatial location of β-catenin within cells to determine what function it is performing. A model was also created to explore the hypothesis that multiple forms of β-catenin exist within cells to perform separate functions. The cancer stem cell hypothesis was explored in solid tumour growth, without necrosis and angiogenesis, by the use of a discrete, cell-based model created with the software package CompuCell3D. This was compared to a novel continuum model, which can be used to perform in silico experiments of solid tumours with a stem-progenitor-mature cell structure for a biologically relevant number of cells. Lastly, a cell-based model of a solid, vascularised tumour was created in CompuCell3D to investigate how an age- and size-structured population of cells can affect the overall growth of the tumour. This model was also used to show how the age structure of cells in a solid tumour can affect the efficacy of chemotherapeutic treatments.","abstract_html":"This thesis has investigated some of the intricacies of the growth and development of a solid tumour. Mathematical models and biological experimentation were used to gain a better understanding of the dual roles that the proto-oncogenic protein β-catenin has in adhesion and transcription, as well as its involvement in the epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Emphasis was placed on the spatial location of β-catenin within cells to determine what function it is performing. A model was also created to explore the hypothesis that multiple forms of β-catenin exist within cells to perform separate functions. The cancer stem cell hypothesis was explored in solid tumour growth, without necrosis and angiogenesis, by the use of a discrete, cell-based model created with the software package CompuCell3D. This was compared to a novel continuum model, which can be used to perform in silico experiments of solid tumours with a stem-progenitor-mature cell structure for a biologically relevant number of cells. Lastly, a cell-based model of a solid, vascularised tumour was created in CompuCell3D to investigate how an age- and size-structured population of cells can affect the overall growth of the tumour. This model was also used to show how the age structure of cells in a solid tumour can affect the efficacy of chemotherapeutic treatments.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Kelly, John"],"institution":"University of Dundee","degree_name":"Doctor of Philosophy","degree_level":"Doctoral Thesis","degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Nathke, Inke"],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2014,"date_issued":"2014","date_published":"2014","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:07:59Z","subjects":[],"languages":["eng"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["oai:discovery.dundee.ac.uk:studenttheses/94ea4aba-556e-4b08-a62e-a5000ce8bfe3"],"render_values":[{"text":"oai:discovery.dundee.ac.uk:studenttheses/94ea4aba-556e-4b08-a62e-a5000ce8bfe3","href":null,"code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://discovery.dundee.ac.uk/en/studentTheses/94ea4aba-556e-4b08-a62e-a5000ce8bfe3","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Nathke, Inke"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Kelly, John"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2014"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2014"]},{"key":"dc:publisher.department","label":"Dc Publisher Department","values":["Mathematics","Cell and Developmental Biology"]},{"key":"dc:publisher.institution","label":"Dc Publisher Institution","values":["University of Dundee"]},{"key":"dc:relation.isreferencedby","label":"Dc Relation Isreferencedby","values":["https://discovery.dundee.ac.uk/en/studentTheses/94ea4aba-556e-4b08-a62e-a5000ce8bfe3"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"dc:type.qualificationlevel","label":"Dc Type Qualificationlevel","values":["Doctoral Thesis"]},{"key":"dc:type.qualificationname","label":"Dc Type Qualificationname","values":["Doctor of Philosophy"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["eng"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["oai:discovery.dundee.ac.uk:studenttheses/94ea4aba-556e-4b08-a62e-a5000ce8bfe3","https://discovery.dundee.ac.uk/en/studentTheses/94ea4aba-556e-4b08-a62e-a5000ce8bfe3"]},{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://discovery.dundee.ac.uk/files/6142930/THESIS_FINAL_JOHN_KELLY.pdf"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This thesis has investigated some of the intricacies of the growth and development of a solid tumour. 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