Phase transitions in tumor growth VI: Epithelial–Mesenchymal transition

MANSILLA, R.; SILVA, E.; MONTERO, S.; NIETO-VILLAR, J.M.; BIZZARRI, M.; BETANCOURT-MAR, J.A.; GUERRA, A.; COCHO, G.; MARTIN, R.R.; RODRIGUEZ, D.J.

PHYSICA A - STATISTICAL AND THEORETICAL PHYSICS

ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

Año: 2018 vol. 499 p. 208 - 215

0378-4371

Herewith we discuss a network model of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) based on ourprevious proposed framework. The EMT appears as a ??first order‟‟ phase transition process, analogous tothe transitions observed in the chemical-physical field. Chiefly, EMT should be considered a transitioncharacterized by a supercritical Andronov?Hopf bifurcation, with the emergence of limit cycle and,consequently, a cascade of saddle-foci Shilnikov‟s bifurcations. We eventually show that the entropyproduction rate is an EMT-dependent function and, as such, its formalism reminds the van der Waalsequation.