Feb 27, 2019; Colloquium
ZIH Colloquium: Characterising the evolutionary modes of cancer and normal tissue
Nöthnitzer Str.46
Dresden
"Characterising the evolutionary modes of cancer and normal tissue"
The nature of evolution within normal and neoplastic tissue is a subject of debate. I will present a highly flexible computational model that allows evolutionary dynamics resulting from diverse spatial structures to be compared in a single framework. Combining stochastic simulations with mathematical analysis, I will explain how tissue architecture governs the potential for subclonal expansion, the prevalence of selective sweeps, and spatial patterns of genetic heterogeneity. I will describe the conditions under which genetic diversity is most predictive of tumour progression, and I will discuss applications in optimising treatment protocols and understanding cancer risk variation. These findings help explain the observed multiformity of cancer and normal tissue evolution and contribute to establishing a theoretical foundation for predictive oncology.