SPEAKER:  Kathleen Wilkie, Ryerson University

ABSTRACT:

Mathematical Oncology is a burgeoning field of Mathematical Biology that bridges mathematics, biological sciences, and clinical medicine. In this talk I will present some recent work that highlights the importance of studying cancer within a patient rather than in isolation. Biological concepts are described as systems of ordinary differential equations and analyses and simulations are related back to form biological conclusions. First, I will describe a model for inflammation in tumour growth and demonstrate the powerful tumour-promoting effects this can have, with serious implications to treatment and recurrence. Second, I will describe a model for cancer cachexia, the wasting away of muscle and fat with advanced stages of the disease. This modeling framework helps us understand the feedback mechanisms present within human tissues that maintain our homeostatic state and how they become dysregulated in disease. Both of these projects demonstrate the systemic nature of cancer, and the need to consider the full and complex tumour-host system.