Feb. 10, 2006 3:30 p.m. at the Fields Institute, Room 230
Dr. Mohammad Kohandel (Applied Math,Univ. of Waterloo)
Dynamics of tumor growth and combination therapies

Tumors cannot grow beyond a certain size (about 1-2 mm in diameter) through simple diffusion of oxygen and other essential nutrients into the tumor. Angiogenesis, the formation of blood vessels from pre-existing vessels, is a crucial and observed step, through which a tumor obtains its own blood supply. Thus, interfering with the development of this tumor vasculature, known as anti-angiogenic therapy, is a novel approach to controlling tumor growth. However, with the pruning of the tumor blood vessels, other treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation cannot effectively reach the tumor cells. Hence, a major challenge to mathematical modeling and computer simulations is to find appropriate dosages, schedules, and sequencing of combination therapies to control or eliminate tumor growth. In this talk, we present a mathematical model that incorporates tumor cells and the vascular network, as well as their interactions, and discuss the effects of different treatments, such as chemotherapy and anti-angiogenic therapy. The results will be compared with available experimental and clinical data.

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Mohammad Kohandel is currently a Research Assistant Professor in Biomechanics Research Group at the Department of Applied Mathematics of the University of Waterloo, working with Prof. S. Sivaloganathan and G. Tenti. He received his PhD in physics in 1999 from Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Sciences, Zanjan, Iran, under the remote supervision of Prof. M. Kardar of Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Before joining the Biomechanics Research Group, he worked with Prof. M. Gingras (Postdoctoral Fellow) and B. -Y. Ha (Research Scientist). His current research is on the biomechanics of the soft biological tissues such as brain, with the application in medicine, and mathematical modeling of cancer. He has also worked on several problems in statistical physics such as biophysics, polymer physics, flux lines, liquid crystals, and colloidal systems.