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SUMMARY:Mapping and Modelling Pancreatic Cancer Tissue Architecture Using 
 Spatial Omics and Agent-Based Simulation - Jayathilake Pahala Gedara (CRUK
  Beaton Institute\, University of Glasgow)
DTSTART:20250918T094000Z
DTEND:20250918T094500Z
UID:TALK236086@talks.cam.ac.uk
DESCRIPTION:\nPancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) displays striking sp
 atial heterogeneity\, particularly in the organization and interactions be
 tween cancer cells and cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs). Yet\, the mec
 hanisms that shape this spatial complexity remain poorly understood. Here\
 , we integrate high-resolution spatial transcriptomic data from human PDAC
  samples with mechanistic computational modelling to uncover the principle
 s governing tumour microenvironment (TME) organization.\nSpatial proximity
  and neighbourhood analyses reveal microenvironmental niches enriched for 
 distinct CAF subtypes (iCAFs and myCAFs)\, as well as characteristic clust
 ering patterns between cancer cells and CAFs. Receptor&ndash\;ligand inter
 action profiling further highlights candidate signalling axes mediating ca
 ncer&ndash\;CAF crosstalk.\nTo mechanistically probe these observations\, 
 we develop a spatially explicit agent-based model (ABM) that incorporates 
 cytokine diffusion and phenotype transitions to simulate local cell&ndash\
 ;cell interactions. The model tests whether simple\, rule-based interactio
 ns are sufficient to reproduce the emergent spatial architectures and phen
 otypic heterogeneity observed in the transcriptomic data.\nTogether\, this
  integrative framework bridges spatial omics with mechanistic modelling\, 
 offering new insights into how cellular interactions shape PDAC tissue arc
 hitecture and contribute to TME organization.\n&nbsp\;\n
LOCATION:Seminar Room 1\, Newton Institute
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