Computational visualization of tumor virotherapy

Recent research has indicated that replication-competent viruses are being tested as tumor therapy agents. The fundamental premise of this therapy is based on the viruses infecting tumor cells and replicating inside them. Spread of the virus in the tumor ultimately should lead to eradication of the cancer. The outcome of tumor virotherapy depends on the dynamics that arise from the interaction between the virus and tumor cell populations both of which change in time. Motivated by this novel cancer treatment, we simulate the dynamical process of the interactions between tumor cells and viruses.We have developed a computational model based on mathematical models that captures the essential factors involved in cellular dynamics. By analyzing and adjusting the essential parameters, we reconstruct and visualize the process and outcomes of cancer virotherapy in a dynamical system. By comparing with in vivo experiments, we validate our simulations to keep a high similarity with the three typical types of experimental observations - tumor eradication, therapeutic failure and oscillations.