Agent-based modelling of virus-based therapy to treat pancreatic cancer
Kevin Visser
Supervisor TU Delft: Fred Vermolen
start of the project: September 2019
Summary of the master project:
Pancreatic cancer is a cancer that is commonly detected only in very late stadia, and therefore the post-diagnosis
survival after five years is less than six percent. One of the major problems in pancreatic cancer is the
formation of an impermeable layer around the tumor, by which the cancer cells protect themselves from the immune
system. Currently treatments are based on chemotherapy, which consists of the injection of drugs that make cancer
cells divide less frequently and which increases the accessibility for immune cells to enter the cancerous region,
by which cancer cells can be neutralised. Though, this treatment can decrease the mortality somewhat by delaying
the progression of the disease, death of the patient is eventually to occur unfortunately in most cases. Recent
experimental developments are in the development of viral particles that selectively 'attack' cancer cells. In
this project, we use agent-based models to simulate the spread of viral particles to inhibit further cancer
development.
Contact information:
Kees
Vuik
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