Analysis & Applied Mathematics Seminar: Dr. Joanna Wares

Modeling Cancer Treatment with Oncolytic Viruses Combined with Dendritic Cell Injections

Dr. Joanna Wares
University of Richmond
Associate Professor of Mathematics

“Oncolytic viruses kill tumor cells by selectively replicating inside of them until they lyse. Recently, OVs have been enhanced to mediate the cellular release of chemicals that attract immune system cells to tumors, causing a further attack on cancer cells. OVs also show a supra-linear effect when used in combination with other immunostimulatory therapies, such as dendritic cell vaccines (DC). Here, I discuss our efforts to determine best treatment regimens for treating cancer with OVs in combination with DCs. First, I will describe the ordinary differential equations model we built to understand the underlying dynamics of the combination treatment based on optimizing treatment for the average subject. I will then describe how we can reduce the original model to a smaller model that is more tractable and equally valid. The increased tractability of the system allows for future determination of optimal treatment strategies for individual subjects.”