{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,11]],"date-time":"2025-10-11T01:32:36Z","timestamp":1760146356495,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":66,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"11","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,10,30]],"date-time":"2024-10-30T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1730246400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Entropy"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The complexity of issues in cancer research has led to the introduction of powerful computational tools to help experimental in vivo and in vitro methods. These tools, which typically focus on studying cell behavior and dynamic cell populations, range from systems of differential equations that are solved numerically to lattice models and agent-based simulations. In particular, agent-based models (ABMs) are increasingly used due to their ability to incorporate multi-scale features, ranging from the individual to the population level. This approach allows for the combination of statistically aggregated assumptions with individual heterogeneity. In this work, we present an ABM that simulates tumor progression in a colonic crypt, to provide an experimental in silico environment for testing results achieved in traditional laboratory research and developing alternative scenarios of tumor development. The model also allows some speculations about causal relationships in biologically inspired systems.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/e26110923","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,10,30]],"date-time":"2024-10-30T09:11:24Z","timestamp":1730279484000},"page":"923","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Exploring the Role of Genetic and Environmental Features in Colorectal Cancer Development: An Agent-Based Approach"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"26","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0001-6610-1117","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Marco","family":"Ledda","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia Ettore Majorana, Universit\u00e0 di Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9368-5800","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alessandro","family":"Pluchino","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia Ettore Majorana, Universit\u00e0 di Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy"},{"name":"INFN Sezione di Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4282-920X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Marco","family":"Ragusa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche e Biotecnologiche, Sezione di Biologia e Genetica, Universit\u00e0 di Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,10,30]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"1","article-title":"How is cancer complex?","volume":"11","author":"Plutynski","year":"2021","journal-title":"Eur. 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