Bud Mishra - Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, NYU

Title: Towards Cancer Hybrid Automata. Abstract: Recently, we introduced Cancer Hallmark Automata, a formalism to model the progression of cancers through discrete phenotypes (so-called “hallmarks”). The classification of various cancers using stages and hallmarks has become common in the biology literature, but primarily as an organizing principle, and not as an executable formalism. The precise computational model developed here aims to exploit this untapped potential, namely, through automatic verification of progression models (e.g., consistency, causal connections, etc.), classification of unreachable or unstable states (e.g., “anti-hallmarks”) and computer-generated (individualized or universal) therapy plans. This talk builds on a phenomenological approach, and as such does not need to model the biochemistry underlying the progression. Rather, it abstractly models transition timings between hallmarks as well as the effects of drugs and clinical tests, and thus allows formalization of temporal statements about the progression as well as notions of timed therapies. The model proposed here is ultimately based on hybrid automata (with multiple clocks), for which relevant verification and planning algorithms exist in the literature. "Towards Cancer Hybrid Automata," (with L. Olde Loohuis and A. Witzel), First International Workshop on Hybrid Systems and Biology: HSB 2012, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, September 3, 2012.

When 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm on Thursday, November 8, 2012
Location MCS 148