>> 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.