563 research outputs found
Analysis of a model for the dynamics of prions II
A new mathematical model for the dynamics of prion proliferation involving an
ordinary differential equation coupled with a partial integro-differential
equation is analyzed, continuing earlier work. We show the well-posedness of
this problem in a natural phase space, i.e. there is a unique global semiflow
in the phase space associated to the problem.
A theorem of threshold type is derived for this model which is typical for
mathematical epidemics. If a certain combination of kinetic parameters is below
or at the threshold, there is a unique steady state, the disease-free
equilibrium, which is globally asymptotically stable; above the threshold it is
unstable, and there is another unique steady state, the disease equilibrium,
which inherits that property
Computational Methods and Results for Structured Multiscale Models of Tumor Invasion
We present multiscale models of cancer tumor invasion with components at the
molecular, cellular, and tissue levels. We provide biological justifications
for the model components, present computational results from the model, and
discuss the scientific-computing methodology used to solve the model equations.
The models and methodology presented in this paper form the basis for
developing and treating increasingly complex, mechanistic models of tumor
invasion that will be more predictive and less phenomenological. Because many
of the features of the cancer models, such as taxis, aging and growth, are seen
in other biological systems, the models and methods discussed here also provide
a template for handling a broader range of biological problems
Consequences of cell-to-cell P-glycoprotein transfer on acquired multidrug resistance in breast cancer: a cell population dynamics model
Cancer is a proliferation disease affecting a genetically unstable cell
population, in which molecular alterations can be somatically inherited by
genetic, epigenetic or extragenetic transmission processes, leading to a
cooperation of neoplastic cells within tumoral tissue. The efflux protein
P-glycoprotein (P gp) is overexpressed in many cancer cells and has known
capacity to confer multidrug resistance to cytotoxic therapies. Recently,
cell-to-cell P-gp transfers have been shown. Herein, we combine experimental
evidence and a mathematical model to examine the consequences of an
intercellular P-gp trafficking in the extragenetic transfer of multidrug
resistance from resistant to sensitive cell subpopulations. We report
cell-to-cell transfers of functional P-gp in co-cultures of a P-gp
overexpressing human breast cancer MCF-7 cell variant, selected for its
resistance towards doxorubicin, with the parental sensitive cell line. We found
that P-gp as well as efflux activity distribution are progressively reorganized
over time in co-cultures analyzed by flow cytometry. A mathematical model based
on a Boltzmann type integro-partial differential equation structured by a
continuum variable corresponding to P-gp activity describes the cell
populations in co-culture. The mathematical model elucidates the population
elements in the experimental data, specifically, the initial proportions, the
proliferative growth rates, and the transfer rates of P-gp in the sensitive and
resistant subpopulations. We confirmed cell-to-cell transfer of functional
P-gp. The transfer process depends on the gradient of P-gp expression in the
donor-recipient cell interactions, as they evolve over time. Extragenetically
acquired drug resistance is an additional aptitude of neoplastic cells which
has implications in the diagnostic value of P-gp expression and in the design
of chemotherapy regimensComment: 13 pages, 8 figures, 1 tabl
Mathematical Analysis of a Clonal Evolution Model of Tumour Cell Proliferation
We investigate a partial differential equation model of a cancer cell population, which is structured with respect to age and telomere length of cells. We assume a continuous telomere length structure, which is applicable to the clonal evolution model of cancer cell growth. This model has a non-standard non-local boundary condition. We establish global existence of solutions and study their qualitative behaviour. We study the effect of telomere restoration on cancer cell dynamics. Our results indicate that without telomere restoration, the cell population extinguishes. With telomere restoration, exponential growth occurs in the linear model. We further characterise the specific growth behaviour of the cell population for special cases. We also study the effects of crowding induced mortality on the qualitative behaviour, and the existence and stability of steady states of a nonlinear model incorporating crowding effect. We present examples and extensive numerical simulations, which illustrate the rich dynamic behaviour of the linear and nonlinear models
Doctoral Lecture-Recital
List of performers and performances
- âŠ