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SUMMARY:Heterogeneity matters: Mathematical insights into eco-evolutionary
  dynamics in cancer radiotherapy
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260522T110000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260522T120000
DTSTAMP:20260521T163529Z
UID:7f711448-8944-f111-bec7-7c1e52046848
CREATED:20260430T113951Z
DESCRIPTION:Heterogeneity is a fundamental feature of biological systems. 
 Oncology is one of the fields in which this feature is most evident\, as i
 ts key players are characterised by mutability\, plasticity\, and often 
 “uncontrolled” dynamics. Whether heterogeneity arises from spatial str
 ucture\, environmental variability\, or cellular traits\, effective therap
 eutic strategies must explicitly account for it in order to eradicate or c
 ontrol tumours.\n\nFrom a modern perspective\, this requires balancing the
  hit-hard / keep-it-sensitive trade-off\, while also considering not only 
 medical but also broader patient-related side effects of treatments. Conte
 mporary medicine is increasingly exploring ways to exploit the very charac
 teristics that have historically made cancer so dangerous\, turning them i
 nto potential advantages for therapy.\n\nThe multiscale nature of tumour s
 ystems\, together with the need to predict the combined effects of multipl
 e\, non-parallelisable processes\, makes the development of optimised math
 ematical tools particularly compelling. Such tools can address questions t
 hat are both scientifically challenging and highly relevant from a clinica
 l and humanitarian perspective.\n\nIn this seminar\, we will analyse tumou
 r masses from a structured population perspective\, focusing on the role o
 f heterogeneity in shaping therapeutic strategies. We will first discuss h
 ow heterogeneity in phenotypic composition and nutrient distribution influ
 ences the eco-evolutionary dynamics of tumour growth. We will then conside
 r more specifically its impact on radiotherapy.\n\nIn particular\, we will
  highlight the advantages of mathematically rigorous modelling in bridging
  theory and biology. We will also adopt a more exploratory perspective\, u
 sing these models to illustrate how mathematics can serve as a potential d
 ecision-support tool for the selection and optimisation of treatment proto
 cols\, within an image- and model-driven framework.\n\nThe final part of t
 he seminar will focus on potential future developments\, with the aim of f
 ostering an open and collaborative discussion on novel perspectives to imp
 rove understanding\, prediction\, and therapeutic optimisation.
LAST-MODIFIED:20260430T114209Z
LOCATION:Mathematical Institute - L4\, L4 Mathematical Institute Woodstock
  Road Oxford Oxfordshire OX2 6GG United Kingdom
SPEAKER:Dr Giulia Chiari (University of Oxford)
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