细胞适应性是细胞对不同刺激和环境条件作出改变的能力。它通过表型可塑性来实现，即基因表达的改变源自生理环境的变化。这个现象在许多生物过程中很重要，特别是在癌症进化及其治疗中。因此，了解其背后的机制非常关键。具体来说，癌症干细胞表型的出现，表现为增强的增殖和侵袭能力，是肿瘤进展的关键过程。我们提出了一个数学框架，通过连续模型使用内部变量的着名概念，来模拟细胞种群之间与其微环境中的化学物种的相互作用引起的表型异质性。通过编制自保守定律的导致模型，我们考虑了细胞表型与细胞所受的刺激历史的关系，以及该表型的遗传。为了说明模型的能力，我们将其特洗适用于胶质母细胞瘤对缺氧的适应。我们进行了参数分析来研究调节细胞适应性的每个模型参数的影响，结果表明该模型能够重现科学文献中报道的不同趋势。该框架可以轻松适应细胞可塑性的任何特定问题，其主要限制在于需要足够的细胞来使用连续变量进行工作。通过适当的校准和验证，它可以用于探索细胞适应的潜在过程，以及提出有利/不利的条件或治疗方法。版权所有©2023作者。由Elsevier Ltd.出版。保留所有权利。

Cellular adaptation is the ability of cells to change in response to different stimuli and environmental conditions. It occurs via phenotypic plasticity, that is, changes in gene expression derived from changes in the physiological environment. This phenomenon is important in many biological processes, in particular in cancer evolution and its treatment. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the mechanisms behind it. Specifically, the emergence of the cancer stem cell phenotype, showing enhanced proliferation and invasion rates, is an essential process in tumour progression. We present a mathematical framework to simulate phenotypic heterogeneity in different cell populations as a result of their interaction with chemical species in their microenvironment, through a continuum model using the well-known concept of internal variables to model cell phenotype. The resulting model, derived from conservation laws, incorporates the relationship between the phenotype and the history of the stimuli to which cells have been subjected, together with the inheritance of that phenotype. To illustrate the model capabilities, it is particularised for glioblastoma adaptation to hypoxia. A parametric analysis is carried out to investigate the impact of each model parameter regulating cellular adaptation, showing that it permits reproducing different trends reported in the scientific literature. The framework can be easily adapted to any particular problem of cell plasticity, with the main limitation of having enough cells to allow working with continuum variables. With appropriate calibration and validation, it could be useful for exploring the underlying processes of cellular adaptation, as well as for proposing favourable/unfavourable conditions or treatments.Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.