>> WELCOME TO "WEDU QUEST."

I'M DR. SHANNON McQUAIG.

SCIENTISTS HAVE MADE GREAT

STRIDES IN DEVELOPING DRUGS TO

FIGHT CANCER.

HOWEVER, MANY CANCERS BECOME

RESISTANT TO DRUG THERAPIES.

DR. ALEXANDER ANDERSON IS A

MATHEMATICAL BIOLOGIST WHO SPENT

12 YEARS STUDYING MATHEMATICAL

MODELS IN CANCER AT THE

UNIVERSITY OF DUNDEE IN

SCOTLAND.

>> I MOVED MY WHOLE GROUP, MY

FAMILY, TO MOFFITT BECAUSE I

REALLY BELIEVED IN THE POWER OF

INTEGRATION.

TO BE INSIDE THE CANCER CENTER

MEANT I WAS GOING TO BE WITH THE

BIOLOGISTS AND THE CLINICIANS

THAT I WANTED TO COLLABORATE

WITH.

AND I THOUGHT THAT AS A TRULY

INTEGRATED DEPARTMENT WOULD

DRIVE THE UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT

MATHEMATICAL MODELS COULD DO FOR

CANCER RESEARCH.

>>Narrator: DR. ANDERSON'S TEAM

OF PHYSICISTS, COMPUTER

SCIENTISTS AND MATHEMATICIANS

HAVE WORKED WITH CLINICAL AND

RESEARCH ONCOLOGISTS AT THE

MOFFITT CANCER CENTER IN TAMPA

FOR THE PAST EIGHT YEARS.

>> THIS KIND OF TEAM SCIENCE

PERSPECTIVE OR INTEGRATIVE

PERSPECTIVE I BELIEVE IS REALLY

THE FUTURE OF SCIENCE IN

GENERAL.

I THINK IT'S PARTICULARLY THE

FUTURE OF HOW WE'RE GOING TO

MANAGE AND TREAT CANCER.

>>Narrator: CANCER'S RESISTANCE

TO CERTAIN THERAPIES HAVE KEPT

RESEARCHERS AND CLINICIANS FROM

BEING ABLE TO ERADICATE THE

DISEASE.

>> MY PRIMARY INTEREST IS IN HOW

CANCERS EVOLVE, HOW YOU GO IN

THE TRANSITION FROM NORMAL TO

CANCER, AND THEN HOW CANCER

CELLS EVOLVE RESISTANCE WHEN YOU

GIVE THERAPY TO THEM.

>>Narrator: FOR 50 YEARS,

ONCOLOGISTS HAVE BLASTED TUMORS

WITH AS MAXIMUM A DOSE AS

POSSIBLE.

>> WHAT YOU THEN GET IS A

PHENOMENON CALLED COMPETITIVE

RELEASE, WHICH MEANS THAT YOU'RE

KILLING ALL THE CELLS EXCEPT THE

ONES THAT ARE RESISTANT AND

WE'RE REMOVING ALL OF THEIR

COMPETITORS.

>> THIS LEFT THE RESISTANT CELLS

TO GROW UNABATED AS IF IT HAD

MAGICAL POWERS.

>> IT'S JUST A POPULATION THAT

EVOLVES.

IT'S NOT -- THERE'S NOTHING EVIL

ABOUT IT.

THERE'S NOTHING ABOUT IT THAT'S

MAGIC.

IT'S SIMPLY OBEYING THE RULES OF

LIVING SYSTEMS THAT ALL LIVING

SYSTEMS OBEY, WHICH MEANS WE CAN

UNDERSTAND IT AND WE CAN

MANIPULATE IT.

>>Narrator: THROUGH MATHEMATICAL

MODELING, SCIENTISTS CAN NOW

DEVELOP WAYS TO PREDICT THE

GROWTH OF A TUMOR.

>> WE HAVE NORMAL CELLS IN THE

BACKGROUND.

THEY ARE IN GRAY.

WE HAVE THE TUMOR IN THE MIDDLE

IN GREEN, AND THEN THESE ARE A

LOT OF WHITE BLOOD VESSELS.

WHAT WE'RE INTERESTED IN

UNDERSTANDING IS HOW DOES THAT

TUMOR GROW AND INVADE INTO THIS

TISSUE AND EVOLVE.

SO I'M GOING TO SHOW YOU A

LITTLE MOVIE HERE THAT SHOWS THE

EVOLUTION OF THE CANCER.

WHAT YOU SEE IS INITIALLY IT

BECOMES A LITTLE BIT MORE ACIDIC

AS RESISTANT, AND YOU HAVE THIS

GREEN RIM OF THESE KIND OF

METABOLIC NORMAL CELLS.

BUT INSIDE WHERE IT IS STARVED

OF OXYGEN, THERE ARE THESE

PURPLISH CELLS.

EVENTUALLY SOME OF THOSE

PURPLE-PINK CELLS BREACH THAT

NICE METABOLIC BOUNDARY AND

RAPIDLY INVADE THE SURROUNDING

TISSUE.

>>Narrator: ANDERSON AND GATENBY

HAVE WORKED WITH THE ONCOLOGISTS

AT MOFFITT TO CREATE NEW

STRATEGIES FOR FIGHTING CANCER.

>> INSTEAD OF TRYING TO KILL ALL

THE CANCER CELLS WHEN YOU KNOW

YOU CAN'T DO THAT, THEN THE GOAL

IS TO MANAGE IT.

SO IN THE PATIENTS WHAT WE TRY

TO DO IS TO KEEP THEIR CANCER

UNDER CONTROL, NOT USING THE

MAXIMUM DOSE POSSIBLE, BUT THE

MINIMUM DOSE NECESSARY.

WHAT WE THEN DO IS WE TEND TO

USE EVOLUTIONARY DYNAMICS TO

CONTROL THE TUMOR RATHER THAN

LETTING THEM USE THE TUMOR TO

USE EVOLUTION TO BEAT OUR

THERAPY.

>>Narrator: DEVELOPING NEW

RESEARCH AND TREATMENT PLANS

DIDN'T COME EASY FOR THE TEAM.

>> IT TOOK A WHILE FOR THE

MATHEMATICIANS TO BECOME

GROUNDED IN THE REALITY OF

BIOLOGY.

IT LOOK A LONG TIME FOR THE

BIOLOGIST AND ONCOLOGIST TO

RECOGNIZE THAT THE

MATHEMATICIANS WERE OFFERING

THEM INSIGHTS THEY WOULDN'T GET

OTHERWISE.

IN THE END, OUT OF IT COMES WHAT

SEEMS LIKE A FEASIBLE TRIAL THAT

YOU COULD TRY.

AND THEN IT'S VERY SCARY TO

START SEEING PATIENTS BEING

TREATED NOT ENTIRELY KNOWING

WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN.

>>Narrator: ONE OF THOSE

PATIENTS FOR THE CLINICAL TRIAL

IS ROBERT BUTLER.

HE WAS FIRST DIAGNOSED WITH

PROSTATE CANCER IN 2008.

>> I CAME ALONG TO THE MOFFITT,

AND I HAD EIGHT WEEKS OF

RADIATION TREATMENT.

>>Narrator: AND IN 2016, ROBERT

BECAME A CANDIDATE FOR THE NEW

TRIAL ON MANAGING CANCER IN HIS

BODY.

HE'S RECEIVED THREE ROUNDS OF

TREATMENT OVER THE PAST YEAR.

>> SO, CLEARLY, IF YOU ONLY SHOW

THESE CANCER CELLS ONCE IN A

WHILE INSTEAD OF CONTINUOUSLY,

IT SEEMS TO THE LAYMAN THAT IT

SEEMS A PRETTY GOOD IDEA TO AT

LEAST DELAY THE CANCER CELLS

FROM SEEING THAT THIS IS A

DEADLY THING AND HOW TO COMBAT

IT.

SO I WAS VERY PLEASED TO GO IN

IT.

THERE WAS NEVER ANY DOUBT THAT I

WOULD DO SO.

>>Narrator: BECAUSE OF THE

COMPLEX NATURE OF CANCER, MATH

HAS BEEN SHOWN TO BE A CRITICAL

TOOL IN MANAGING ITS TREATMENT.

>> ONE OF THE KEY FEATURES OF

MATHEMATICS IS THAT WITH GREAT

SIMPLICITY YOU CAN PRODUCE

AMAZING COMPLEXITY.

SO THAT ABILITY OF MATHEMATICS

IS SOMETHING, I THINK, THAT IS

NOT WELL UNDERSTOOD BUT IT'S

SOMETHING THAT WE SHOULD REALLY

CHERISH AND BE PROUD OF.

>> I'M VERY SENSITIVE TO TRYING

TO DO THE BEST WITH PATIENTS.

I'M ALWAYS AMAZED BY HOW

REMARKABLE THEY ARE.

SO I'M HAPPY TO BE ABLE TO MAKE

WHATEVER CONTRIBUTION I CAN.

>> AND I SEE THAT REALLY I

BELIEVE AND ONE OF THE REASONS

WHY I CAME TO MOFFITT IS I THINK

THAT'S THE FUTURE OF HOW WE'RE

GOING TO TREAT CANCER.

WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A

MATHEMATICAL MODEL FOR EVERY

PATIENT'S CANCER.

AND THAT WOULD BE HOW WE DECIDE

WHAT TO TREAT, WHEN TO TREAT,

AND HOW LONG THE TREATMENT

SHOULD BE.

[ MUSIC ]

>> QUEST FOR KNOWLEDGE AT

MOFFITT.ORG.