A mathematical model for fibrous dysplasia: The role of the flow of mutant cells

by Mariia Soloviova, Juan C. Beltrán-Vargas, Luis Fernandez de Castro, Juan Belmonte-Beitia, Víctor M. Pérez-García, Magdalena Caballero

Fibrous dysplasia (FD) is a rare mosaic, non-inheritable genetic disorder that affects the skeleton, where normal bone is replaced by weaker, fibrous tissue. This disorder is characterized by expansible lesions prone to fracture, deformity, and pain, and currently has no cure. We have developed a simple mathematical model to better understand the behavior of bone cells in FD. Our model includes the basic biological processes known to occur in FD and tracks the changes in different populations of bone cells over time. We conducted a detailed analysis of the model, examining its properties, the existence and stability of steady states, and the sensitivity of various parameters.

Representation of the bone-cell populations and interactions between them.