Anticancer research
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Anticancer research · Nov 1999
ReviewThe role of molecular discreteness in normal and cancerous growth.
The physicochemical events that underlie biological processes are inevitably either/or events. Either a growth factor molecule binds to a cell, or it doesn't. Either a site on a cyclin molecule is phosphorylated, or it isn't. ⋯ In fact, as will be outlined here, such discrete modeling may allow us to see how the normal cellular populations of the body can grow to predictable sizes, at predictable times, and to predictable shapes. Such modeling can also allow us to gain insight into how normal cellular populations may become cancerous cellular populations. Indeed, such an approach allows us do a sufficiently good job of imitating the growth and spread of tumors as to be able to make estimates the most effective ways to both detect and treat cancer.