Mathematical modeling of angiogenesis and hypoxia activated prodrugs
An important step in tumor development is angiogenesis, the process by which tumors develop their own blood supply. However, tumor vessels are structurally and functionally abnormal, and inefficient at delivering nutrients (including oxygen) or drugs to tumor cells. Although tumor hypoxia is a characteristic of virtually all solid malignancies and leads to genomic instability and malignant progression, it is a validated and ideal target for guided drug delivery. To overcome hypoxia-induced treatment resistance, so-called hypoxia activated prodrugs have been developed that are nontoxic under normal oxygen concentrations but are activated specifically in hypoxic tumor regions. This talk will survey our mathematical approaches to investigate the process of angiogenesis and hypoxia activated prodrugs, as well as therapeutic implications.