Cancer and infection (2004–2008)
In this project (“Towards an integrated mechanistic theory of within-host disease dynamics”) we are attempting to extend the theory of biological stoichiometry to the study of tumor growth and infectious disease via a collaborative study involving both empirical work and mathematical modeling. The infectious disease work focuses especially on testing the idea that pathogenic microorganisms have elevated demands for key elements, especially iron. The tumor work involves testing the Growth Rate Hypothesis in the context of tumors and compares the C:N:P stoichiometry and RNA&DNA contents in malignant and normal tissues from a number of human tumors. These data are then used in stoichiometrically explicit models of tumor or pathogen resource utlization and dynamics.
Collaborators
- Yang Kuang
- Timothy Newman (ASU)
- John Nagy (Scottsdale Community College)
- Val Smith (U of Kansas)
- Marilyn Smith (U Kansas Medical Center)