MC 5501
Speaker
Leah Edelstein-Keshet | University of British Columbia
Title
Mathematical models of cellular responses in healing tissue
Abstract
In my lecture, I will describe a research project that was proposed recently by Dr Kathryn Isaac, a UBC professor and clinical surgeon. Her specialty is implant reconstructive surgery for breast-cancer patients. In 15-40% of cases, this cosmetic reconstruction fails, leading to "capsular contraction" (CC). This painful condition arises when the healing tissue (the "capsule") that forms surrounding the implant undergoes pathological contraction and deformation - necessitating further surgery. Our team has applied mathematical modeling of cellular responses to investigate root causes of CC, the risk factors, and possible preventative treatments. We model hypotheses for cell-level mechanisms involved in tissue healing that can also account for early steps leading to CC. I will describe several rounds of modeling, with the most recent being a joint project with Ms Yuqi Xiao (UBC MSc student) and Prof. Alain Goriely (Oxford).