Current Opinion in Systems Biology · Oct 8, 2026
Spatiotemporal multiscale models reveal how cross-scale coordination shapes human health and longevity
By Jannetty SK, Bagheri N
Spatiotemporal multiscale models provide a powerful framework for investigating how coordinated biological dynamics across scales give rise to tissue organization and disease. Here, we review recent modeling studies in the fields of development, gynopathology, and senescence, emphasizing where dynamics are imposed, where emergent behavior is measured, and the different model formalisms that bridge these scales. Across the literature, dynamics are most often imposed at the cellular level and assessed at the tissue scale, with agent-based and cellular Potts models serving as common bridging frameworks. We discuss key limitations of these approaches, including challenges in establishing mechanistic necessity, parameter identifiability, and computational tractability. Finally, we highlight emerging opportunities to address these challenges through spatial omics, scientific machine learning, and AI-assisted model construction.