224
X-Machines for Agent-Based Modeling: FLAME Perspectives
Nest
250
250
10
Food
1
100
100
400
15
Food
2
5
300
200
5
7.6 Model Drug Delivery for Cancer Treatment
Curing cancer is a game of time and drugs where drugs are introduced
at specific times to help kill cancer cells before they mutate. Cancer cells
eventually develop resistance to the administered drugs during the treatments.
This is a concrete factor in limiting treatment, causing the patient to move to
a point of no return when no more chemotherapy is effective. Individual cells
develop changes in their DNA (known as ‘mutations’) that change them such
that their growth is left unaffected by specific drugs. Through a computer
model that allows introducing alternative drugs, in a virtual environments on
computer-generated cancer cells, clinicians can find best drug combinations
to reduce the development of drug resistance, increasing the patient chances
to survive. This project involves working with breast cancer patients but can
be extended to other types of cancers in the future.
Drug resistance is the main reason for current failures in cancer treatments
when no more chemotherapy is helpful for the patient. Clinicians use a combination of drugs (drug A and drug B) introducing them at different times
of the treatment in order to help kill all cancer cells in the affected tissues
X-Machines for Agent-Based Modeling: FLAME Perspectives
7.6 Model Drug Delivery for Cancer Treatment
Curing cancer is a game of time and drugs where drugs are introduced
at specific times to help kill cancer cells before they mutate. Cancer cells
eventually develop resistance to the administered drugs during the treatments.
This is a concrete factor in limiting treatment, causing the patient to move to
a point of no return when no more chemotherapy is effective. Individual cells
develop changes in their DNA (known as ‘mutations’) that change them such
that their growth is left unaffected by specific drugs. Through a computer
model that allows introducing alternative drugs, in a virtual environments on
computer-generated cancer cells, clinicians can find best drug combinations
to reduce the development of drug resistance, increasing the patient chances
to survive. This project involves working with breast cancer patients but can
be extended to other types of cancers in the future.
Drug resistance is the main reason for current failures in cancer treatments
when no more chemotherapy is helpful for the patient. Clinicians use a combination of drugs (drug A and drug B) introducing them at different times
of the treatment in order to help kill all cancer cells in the affected tissues