A mathematical model describing the tip-stalk regulation in angiogenesis

Angiogenesis is the process of new blood vessel growth from existing vessels, involving extensive cell signaling. Under normal conditions, new vessels are robust and organized, with a balance among angiogenesis factors. In abnormal conditions, such as tumor development, vessels are stunted and tangled due to an imbalance of these factors. Pathological angiogenesis stimulates rapid vessel growth to feed the oxygen and nutriente starved tumor. Inhibiting angiogenesis can cause side effects like hypertension, thrombosis, and fatigue. To better understand this process, significant effort has gone into studying signaling pathways, contributing to drug development for diseases like cancer. This study presents a mathematical model describing angiogenesis on a microscopic scale, comparing its results with experimental data on vascular network topology. The model, implemented in MatLab®, uses ordinary differential equations to represent cell behavior. Results show that altering VEGF (Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor) disrupts system balance, impacting angiogenesis and possibly explaining differences in network topology seen experimentally.