Abstract: Mathematical modeling of cancer treatment: cellular pharmacodynamics, the cell cycle, and tumor-immune interactions
Cancer is a disease of dysregulation. This dysregulation occurs on many levels, such as cellular signalling, the cell cycle, cellular metabolism, interactions with the immune system, and the cellâs communication with, and effect on, the microenvironment. A plausible assumption is that this dysregulation can largely be described with the same equations that describe normal cells and tissue, but with altered parameter values. This talk will start with the problem of building math models to describe how cells in culture respond to anti-cancer treatments. Most anti-cancer agents perturb the cell cycle, which in turn affects response to a second agent or subsequent exposure. This will motivate the presentation of a mathematical model for the cell cycle. However, response to treatments such as chemotherapy drugs and radiation is determined by more than the cancer cells themselves. Much evidence now points to the immune system as playing an important part in such therapies. Therefore, in the latter part of this talk, math models of tumor-immune interactions will be presented. Mathematical modeling in cancer has much potential for improving our understanding of this fearsome disease, and better understanding will help lead to better treatments.