The work is published in the journal Clinical and Translational Medicine.

Calcium is a vital component in the survival of biological cells. However, if the concentration of calcium within a cell is too high, this can cause cell death—which is what makes the element such an interesting factor in cancer treatment.

Created under the DigLungCancer project, the cell model builds on an earlier model from 2021—regarded as the world’s first digital ion current model of a human A549 lung adenocarcinoma cell line.

The improved model will pave the way for research into the ways in which calcium currents and electrical voltages on the cell membrane influence cancer-cell growth.

Although these cells cannot be activated in the conventional neurophysiological sense, they do demonstrate electrical activity. The digital model provides the most detailed functional depiction of bioelectricity in cancer cells to date. The long-term aim is to identify new targets for drugs and computer-aided, personalized treatment strategies.