Insights in Multiscale Mechanistic Modeling

Biological systems operate across interconnected spatial and temporal scales, from molecular reactions and intracellular pathways to cellular organization, tissue mechanics, and organ function. Multiscale mechanistic modeling brings together biophysics, applied mathematics, bioengineering, and physiology to describe how these processes interact and generate emergent biological behavior. Current challenges include integrating heterogeneous data, representing feedback across scales, and developing models that remain interpretable while capturing biological complexity. Recent advances in molecular simulation, cellular and agent-based modeling, continuum mechanics, hybrid computational frameworks, and data-driven parameterization have improved the capacity to investigate development, disease progression, and tissue organization. However, important gaps remain in linking model components across scales, validating predictions experimentally, quantifying uncertainty, and establishing reproducible standards for model comparison and reuse. Further investigation is therefore needed to develop robust, predictive, and biologically grounded approaches to multiscale modeling.This Research Topic aims to provide an overview of recent advances in multiscale mechanistic modeling and to examine how models connecting molecular processes, cellular pathways, tissue dynamics, and organ-level function can address complex biological questions. It will explore the capabilities and limitations of current approaches, including their application to developmental biology, oncology, tissue engineering, and the study of organ systems in health and disease. Particular attention will be given to computational scalability, parameter estimation, sensitivity analysis, model validation, and the integration of mechanistic and machine-learning methods. The Research Topic also seeks to identify emerging opportunities and formulate priorities for developing predictive, transferable, and experimentally testable multiscale models.To gather further insights into mechanistic modeling across biological scales, this Research Topic welcomes articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:• Mathematical frameworks linking molecular events to cellular behavior• Molecular, cellular, and tissue-scale mechanistic modeling• Agent-based and spatiotemporal models of tissue dynamics• Biomechanical and biophysical models of cell–extracellular matrix interactions• Hybrid approaches combining mechanistic and machine-learning models• Parameter estimation, uncertainty quantification, and sensitivity analysis• Multiscale modeling of organ systems in health and disease• Applications in developmental biology, oncology, and tissue engineering• Software development, benchmarking, interoperability, and standards for multiscale simulationThis collection welcomes contributions reflecting on current developments and plotting pathways for upcoming research, from Editorial Board Members of the section, from authors they refer, and, on invitation, from a number of external researchers whose work is shaping the direction of the field. Authors are encouraged to engage critically with their fields, identify the current challenges, and propose novel solutions that advance our understanding of complex biological systems. Topic editors: Shawn D. Ryan, Ling Qin, Hardik Joshi, Vincent Noël Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/84385/insights-in-multiscale-mechanistic-modeling