Modeling Niche construction behaviour in Ovarian cancer
Peter R Main, School of Information Science and Engineering, Canberra University
2 January 2006
Wang et al provide an extensive and logical review of inflammatory and thrombotic controls possibly operant via angiogensis and other systems, evident in ovarian cancer and its peritoneal response.
Such a system has features of "niche construction" in complex adaptive systems (CAS) useful in ecosystems modeling. In such systems there appears a major problem of dealing with dynamic adaptive diversity (ie rapid mutation that alters the crosstalk being used by the cancer to control host cell lines). Adaptation of tumour to therapeutic challenges is a well established mode of failure in therapies.
This diversity of a CAS subject to control intervention, needs to be formally considered, when planning the early clinical extension of their work to interventions of thrombotic or inflammatory pathways.
Wang et al's report does not consider diversity as central to their topic, yet diversity is central to both the underlying inflammatory /thrombotic / angiogenic systems, and their modulation by tumour. Diversity of these systems may be central to future clinical failure to translate theory to therapy -we do not yet know.
A significant further sampling of the 402 genes differentially expressed in malign vs benign peritoneum, and 663 genes differentially expressed in malign vs benign stroma, may reflect expression diversity, of immediate relevance to planning clinical interventions.
Finally, In my view, for a progressive epublication paradigm, I suggest a minimum additional requirement for such published analysis, is the online deposition of the genetic data background to their report. That at least would enable future cross-checking of relevant involved genes in meta-analysis of new reports with past reports.
Fragmentation of isolated bits of data, across time, geography and language, is surely a shamefully obsolete practice belonging to horse and buggy days, not modern worldwide BMC epublication.
Competing interests
To my knowledge I have no competing interests relevant to the above comments, or the commented journal report.
Modeling Niche construction behaviour in Ovarian cancer
2 January 2006
Wang et al provide an extensive and logical review of inflammatory and thrombotic controls possibly operant via angiogensis and other systems, evident in ovarian cancer and its peritoneal response.
Such a system has features of "niche construction" in complex adaptive systems (CAS) useful in ecosystems modeling. In such systems there appears a major problem of dealing with dynamic adaptive diversity (ie rapid mutation that alters the crosstalk being used by the cancer to control host cell lines). Adaptation of tumour to therapeutic challenges is a well established mode of failure in therapies.
This diversity of a CAS subject to control intervention, needs to be formally considered, when planning the early clinical extension of their work to interventions of thrombotic or inflammatory pathways.
Wang et al's report does not consider diversity as central to their topic, yet diversity is central to both the underlying inflammatory /thrombotic / angiogenic systems, and their modulation by tumour. Diversity of these systems may be central to future clinical failure to translate theory to therapy -we do not yet know.
A significant further sampling of the 402 genes differentially expressed in malign vs benign peritoneum, and 663 genes differentially expressed in malign vs benign stroma, may reflect expression diversity, of immediate relevance to planning clinical interventions.
Finally, In my view, for a progressive epublication paradigm, I suggest a minimum additional requirement for such published analysis, is the online deposition of the genetic data background to their report. That at least would enable future cross-checking of relevant involved genes in meta-analysis of new reports with past reports.
Fragmentation of isolated bits of data, across time, geography and language, is surely a shamefully obsolete practice belonging to horse and buggy days, not modern worldwide BMC epublication.
Competing interests
To my knowledge I have no competing interests relevant to the above comments, or the commented journal report.