Physics (Internal)

Stochastic Models of Cell Maintenance and Tumor Progression

This event is part of the Biophysics/Condensed Matter Seminar Series.

Abstract:
Cancer is a genetic disease: it is caused by malignant (driver) mutations accumulating in somatic tissues. What are the fundamental laws of tumor progression and initiation? I first consider homeostasis in healthy epithelial tissues, then I discuss the arrival of the first driver mutation. To develop malignant cancer, however, several mutations are needed. Hence I turn to models of tumor progression through several stages from benign tumor to malignant cancer. I present experimental results on murine epidermis, clinical data on pancreatic and brain cancer, and compare them to several models with exact or approximate solutions.