Thematic Program on Mathematical Oncology
July 1 - December 31, 2024
Description
The field of Mathematical Oncology is still a young and growing discipline. The Thematic Program in Mathematical Oncology (FieMO) comes at the right time to ask a few important questions.
1. It is time to look back, to see what has been achieved over the past 25 years. Powerful mathematical models are used in the optimization of radiation treatments, they are used to implement adaptive therapies to prevent resistances, they are used in medical imaging and cancer diagnosis, and they are used as mathematical models in any of the hallmarks and enabling characteristics of Hannahan and Weinberg (2000, 2010, 2022). During the FieMO we will collect and showcase mathematical success stories. We invite participants to present cases where a mathematical model made a significant impact on cancer diagnosis and treatment. During the FieMO we will collect these success stories into a textbook, which will form a great resource for future research.
2. It is time to look broadly on the impact on mathematical oncology on other disciplines. Not only has mathematical oncology impacted medical research, it has also a huge impact on mathematical and statistical sciences. As Fields is a mathematical institute, we will use the FieMO to highlight the mathematical aspects of our research. For example, the mathematical models of angiogenesis has stimulated the new area of biased reinforced random walks and the analysis of coupled hyperbolic and parabolic partial differential equations (PDEs). Optimization of treatments has initiated a full analysis of singular arcs in optimization schedules. Mathematical modelling was the first tool that allowed us to fully understand the development of treatment resistances based on genetic and epi-genetic effects. And detailed microscopic observations of moving cancer cells stimulated the analysis of kinetic transport equations, their qualitative behavior, and their scaling limits that lead to anisotropic diffusion. These are only a few examples where mathematical oncology has stimulated mathematics.
The well structured and uncompromisingly rigorous methods of mathematical modeling has a lot to offer for future developments in cancer research and treatments. Not only does it guide researchers in the right direction, it also, unceremoniously, tells us when something does not work, and why. At the FieMO we will highlight those connections and investigate new and open mathematical problems in this area.
3. It is time to look forward. The real value of our research to cancer treatment can only be assessed through patient treatment outcome, which is done through clinical trials. After a theoretical analysis has been done and tested on cell cultures and mice, it is time to put it to the test on humans. This is a difficult task and certainly outside the expertise of a typical mathematician. However, it is done and some clinical trials are currently collecting data (see more details below). We plan to use the FieMO to learn about these trials, to understand how a mathematical model needs to be developed and presented such that medical experts can benefit from it, and to experience the power of mathematical modelling in the treatment of cancer.
These three main endeavors will form a detailed picture of mathematical oncology as it is today. It will act as a sign-post to show where we stand, guide us and the next generation of Math Oncologists to carry the research further, explore new territory, and add value to our fight against cancer.
Fields Distinguished Visiting Professor
Thomas Hillen, University of Alberta
Workshops and Conferences
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The Mathematics of the Hallmarks of Cancer
August 19 - 23, 2024
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Mathematical Modelling of Cancer Treatments, Resistance, Optimization
September 16 - 20, 2024
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The Ecology and Evolution of Cancer
September 30 - October 4, 2024
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Mathematical Modelling of Tumour Immune Dynamics and Immunotherapies
October 21 - 25, 2024
Special and Public Lectures
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Distinguished Lecture Series: Helen Byrne
August 19 - 23, 2024
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Coxeter Lecture Series: Natalia Komarova
September 16 - 20, 2024
Courses
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Graduate Course on Mathematical Oncology II - Case Studies
September 9 - December 6, 2024