Applied Mathematics Colloquia with Doron Levy: Fighting Drug Resistance with Math

Speaker: Doron Levy, University of Maryland

Title: Fighting Drug Resistance with Math

Abstract: The emergence of drug resistance is a major challenge in chemotherapy. In this talk we will overview some of our recent mathematical models for describing the dynamics of drug-resistance in solid tumors. These models follow the dynamics of the tumor, assuming that the cancer cell population depends on a phenotype variable that corresponds to the resistance level to a cytotoxic drug.  Under certain conditions, our models predict that multiple resistant traits emerge at different locations within the tumor, corresponding to heterogeneous tumors. We show that a higher drug dosage may delay a relapse, yet, when this happens, a more resistant trait emerges.  The talk will focus on the potential role of mathematics in designing an optimal therapy.

 

Applied Mathematics Colloquia