Computational hematology in systems biology

Abstract

One of the key issues in hematology is how blood cell production is conducted and sturdily maintained under physiological and pathological conditions. Due to the difficulty in manipulating hematopoietic stem cells in vitro, control of hematopoietic processes remains unclear. Models are required for easy access and are highly expected to show not only reproduction of blood cell behaviors in vivo, but also predictability of specific cellular responses under experimental stimulations. We demonstrate herein a granulopoietic model using a 3-dimensional cellular automaton (3D-CA) model. This model incorporates a spatio-temporal concept to describe granulopoiesis that develops in the finite space of the bone marrow cavity. This 3D-CA model is valuable in clinical simulation studies such as determination of a granulocyte growth factor administration for cancer patients with neutropenia. Analyzing the cellular kinetics of hematopoiesis by 3D-CA modeling will provide novel strategies for cancer treatment. © 2008 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.