A recently published Yale study explores how cell plasticity — which refers to the ability of cells to adapt their phenotypes in response to environmental signals without undergoing genetic alterations — might impact the development, progression and treatment of cancer.
“The surprising result and the result that holds great promise is that we can describe the underlying mechanisms using mathematical approaches that have also been used in physics and chemistry,” said Andre Levchenko, professor of biomedical engineering at Yale and co-author of the study. “The analysis also suggests new avenues for cancer treatment and prevention.”