Document Type

Honors Thesis

Abstract

The dysregulation of intracellular Ca2+ dynamics is a hallmark feature of several types of cancer. Administering a combination of a drug that blocks store-operated Ca2+ entry and a drug that inhibits tyrosine kinases is a novel chemotherapeutic approach currently being explored. Using data from experimental trials of these drugs, an existing model of Ca2+ dynamics was modified via the Michaelis-Menten theory of enzyme kinetics to reflect the behavior of the cell upon administration of the drugs. Mathematical analyses were performed to determine the overall repercussions of this modification. This included sensitivity analysis to reveal the model's sensitivity to changes to particular parameters and stability analysis to find if the model will approach equilibrium. With the goal of predicting drug action in mind, this expanded model is a step in the right direction but still needs refinement to increase accuracy and have real-world applications.

Publication Date

12-1-2019

Language

English

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