The Mathematical Neuro-Oncology Research Lab Presents
Natalia Komarova
Professor of Mathematics
University of California – Irvine
Stochastic Modeling of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Treatment
Friday, November 7th, 2014
2:30 pm – 3:30 pm
Arkes Pavilion,
676 n. Saint Clair St. Suite 1300
Mathematical Neuro-Oncology Lab
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is the most common leukemia, mostly arising in patients over the age of 50. The disease has been treated with chemo-immunotherapies with varying outcomes, depending on the genetic make-up of the tumor cells. Recently, a promising new tyrosine kinase inhibitor, ibrutinib, has been developed, which resulted in successful responses in clinical trials, even for the most aggressive chronic lymphocytic leukemia types. The crucial current questions include how long disease control can be maintained in individual patients, when drug resistance is expected to arise, and what can be done to counter it. Computational evolutionary models, based on measured kinetic parameters of patients, allow us to address these questions and to pave the way toward a personalized prognosis.