Mathematical modeling of cancer-immune system, considering the role of antibodies

Theory Biosci. 2018 Apr;137(1):67-78. doi: 10.1007/s12064-018-0261-x. Epub 2018 Mar 23.

Abstract

A mathematical model for the quantitative analysis of cancer-immune interaction, considering the role of antibodies has been proposed in this paper. The model is based on the clinical evidence, which states that antibodies can directly kill cancerous cells (Ivano et al. in J Clin Investig 119(8):2143-2159, 2009). The existence of transcritical bifurcation, which has been proved using Sotomayor theorem, provides strong biological implications. Through numerical simulations, it has been illustrated that under certain therapy (like monoclonal antibody therapy), which is capable of altering the parameters of the system, cancer-free state can be obtained.

Keywords: Antibodies; B cells; Cancer cells; Global stability; Plasma cells; Transcritical bifurcation.

MeSH terms

  • Algorithms
  • Antibodies / immunology*
  • Computer Simulation
  • Humans
  • Immune System*
  • Models, Biological
  • Neoplasms / genetics*
  • Neoplasms / immunology*
  • Nonlinear Dynamics
  • Population Dynamics*
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Time Factors

Substances

  • Antibodies