Avner Friedman

by Avner Friedman (Author)
The fast growing field of mathematical biology addresses biological questions using mathematical models from areas such as dynamical systems, probability, statistics, and discrete mathematics.

This book is based on a one semester course that the authors have been teaching for several years, and includes two sets of case studies. The first includes chemostat models, predator-prey interaction, competition among species, the spread of infectious diseases, and oscillations arising from bifurcations. In developing these topics, readers will also be introduced to the basic theory of ordinary differential equations, and how to work with MATLAB without having any prior programming experience.

This volume introduces some basic mathematical models for cell cycle, proliferation, cancer, and cancer therapy. Chapter 1 gives an overview of the modeling of the cell division cycle. Chapter 2 describes how tumor secretes growth factors to form new blood vessels in its vicinity, which provide it with nutrients it needs in order to grow. Chapter 3 explores the process that enables the tumor to invade the neighboring tissue. Chapter 4 models the interaction between a tumor and the immune system. Chapter 5 is concerned with chemotherapy; it uses concepts from control theory to minimize obstacles arising from drug resistance and from cell cycle dynamics. Finally, Chapter 6 reviews mathematical results for various cancer models.

This is the eighth volume in the series "Mathematics in Industrial Prob­ lems." The motivation for these volumes is to foster interaction between Industry and Mathematics at the "grass roots level"; that is, at the level of specific problems.