Predicting evolution in cell populations with a scaling law
A scaling law relates the expected number of mutants to the total population size of cells in a spatially constrained but growing population, which could help clinicians predict when cancers or bacterial infections might develop resistance to treatment. Given a small number of cells in a population subject to a strong fitness pressure, such as a drug intended to kill the cells, mutations are likely to arise. However, it is difficult to predict when those mutations might arise and become common in ...