Now Reading: Indian-origin professor uses maths to design better cancer therapy
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Indian-origin professor uses maths to design better cancer therapy
Professor Philip Maini, an Indian-origin mathematician at the University of Oxford, is using mathematical models to design more effective cancer treatments that could overcome drug resistance. His work focuses on adaptive therapy,…
Professor Philip Maini, an Indian-origin mathematician at the University of Oxford, is using mathematical models to design more effective cancer treatments that could overcome drug resistance. His work focuses on adaptive therapy, which manages tumours by keeping a baseline of drug-sensitive cells alive to prevent drug-resistant cells from taking over.
Maini explained that tumours are ecosystems of drug-sensitive and drug-resistant cells. Aggressive treatment can wipe out sensitive cells, allowing resistant ones to dominate and cause progression. Mathematical modelling allows researchers to test many treatment strategies at low cost, which is not possible in clinical trials.
Maini directs Oxford's Wolfson Centre for Mathematical Biology. His team is developing models of angiogenesis, oxygen delivery and cell growth, which they hope will eventually predict the best chemo or radiotherapy protocol for each patient.
Indian Opinion Analysis
Maini's approach turns a core oncology problem on its head: instead of seeking total tumour elimination, adaptive therapy accepts a manageable tumour burden to preserve drug sensitivity. The concept has been tested in small clinical pilots for prostate cancer, but wide adoption is years away. Maini's models need experimental validation before they can guide real-world protocols. The next signal to watch is whether his team publishes a clinical prediction tool backed by patient data, which would move the work from theory toward bedside use.
Source: rediff.com
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