Physics, math provide insights to cure cancer

Michigan, February 1: In what may be termed as a revolutionary breakthrough in the ongoing cancerdefine research, physics and mathematics hope to enable oncologists find the reasons behind tumor development, to help curb its growth.

The researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancerdefine Center claim that traditional approaches of studying a slice of cells to know the signals and pathways do not provide them with an authentic picture.

According to the researchers, it is really important to understand the signaling pathways between cells as signals do not move just ‘forward’ along these pathways, but also ‘backwards,’, an important fact which hitherto, has beenmissed in earlier traditional approaches, resulting in oversimplification of the system.

“When you make simplifying assumptions, you always run the risk of eliminating critical aspects of your system, but you have no way of knowing what was discarded. When you simplify, you do not know exactly what you are throwing away because you never looked at the complex case,” said Sofia Merajver, co-director of the Breast Oncology Programme at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Centre.

Hence, they are in the process of using physics and mathematics to get at the basics of how cancer spreads and possibly find a cure. The new model uses the intense computing power to know how exactly the various atoms interact with each other.

“The living cell is really a dynamic process. We need to consider the properties of physics to help us understand these data... We need to understand how that molecule is sitting in the cell, interacting with other molecules,” stated Merajver.

According to Merajver, professor of internal medicine at the University's Medical School, a sophisticated mathematical model will benefit researchers in applying these concepts to treat cancer.

The new model, which is the brainchild of Dr. Merajver, is likely to give a big boost in arriving at newer treatment options. “To understand how the laws of physics can be applied to biological systems is a new frontier,” affirmed Merajver.

The mathematical modelling, by taking into account interactions between two pathways, or “cross-talk,” enables scientists unveil new considerations for developing drugs to “inhibit major growth and metastasis pathways in cells.”

The article appears in the Jan. 15 issue of the Journal ‘Cancer Research.’

Merajver, a specialist in inflammatory breast cancer, and her colleagues have got a new regular section on mathematical modeling added in the journal which will have Merajver and Trachette Jackson, Ph.D., professor of mathematics at U-M, as its senior editors.

Funding for the study came primarily from the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.