Mathematical modeling in cancer nanomedicine: a review

Prashant Dogra, Joseph D. Butner, Yao li Chuang, Sergio Caserta, Shreya Goel, C. Jeffrey Brinker, Vittorio Cristini, Zhihui Wang

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

115 Scopus citations

Abstract

Cancer continues to be among the leading healthcare problems worldwide, and efforts continue not just to find better drugs, but also better drug delivery methods. The need for delivering cytotoxic agents selectively to cancerous cells, for improved safety and efficacy, has triggered the application of nanotechnology in medicine. This effort has provided drug delivery systems that can potentially revolutionize cancer treatment. Nanocarriers, due to their capacity for targeted drug delivery, can shift the balance of cytotoxicity from healthy to cancerous cells. The field of cancer nanomedicine has made significant progress, but challenges remain that impede its clinical translation. Several biophysical barriers to the transport of nanocarriers to the tumor exist, and a much deeper understanding of nano-bio interactions is necessary to change the status quo. Mathematical modeling has been instrumental in improving our understanding of the physicochemical and physiological underpinnings of nanomaterial behavior in biological systems. Here, we present a comprehensive review of literature on mathematical modeling works that have been and are being employed towards a better understanding of nano-bio interactions for improved tumor delivery efficacy.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number40
JournalBiomedical Microdevices
Volume21
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 1 2019

Keywords

  • Agent-based modeling
  • Cancer treatment
  • Drug transport
  • Mechanistic modeling
  • Multiscale
  • Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Molecular Biology

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