I develop 3-D computational frameworks to simulate and study cancer and tumor-stroma interactions, with calibration to and validation against both in vitro and clinical data. The major components of my framework include: 1) BioFVM, an open source code to simultaneously simulate the 3-D biodistribution of multiple substrates, including oxygen, glucose, metabolic waste products, signaling factors, and therapeutic compounds. (http://BioFVM.MathCancer.org) 2) PhysiCell, an open source code to simulate millions of cells in 3-D tissues, including cell cycle progression, apoptosis, necrosis, microcalcifications, volume changes, motility, secretions, and small-scale biomechanics. (http://PhysiCell.MathCancer.org) 3) MultiCellDS, a multi-institutional project originally funded by the Breast Cancer Research Foundation to create a common "data language" for simulation, experimental, and clinical data. This work has united modelers, biologists, and clinicians to share and curate phenotype measurements in over 200 digital cell lines, as well as digital breast pathology snapshots. (http://MultiCellDS.org) 4) CellPD, a computational tool to extract cell cycle and apoptosis parameters from high-throughput screening data. (http://CellPD.MathCancer.org) I have applied this work to study ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast, invasive ductal carcinoma, and colon cancer metastases in bioengineered liver tissues. It is my goal to bring these new 3-D technologies to bear on cancer problems including patient-tailored therapeutic planning, immunotherapy, and understanding and manipulating tumor-stroma interactions. I would be very interested in developing new data-driven computational models for cancer immunology, hematopoiesis, drug response and resistance, and signaling pathway modulation. As a member of the Simon Cancer Center, I would work closely with biologists and clinicians to use computational modeling to help test new biological hypotheses, rapidly pre-screen the potential clinical impact of in vitro findings, and to assess the potential clinical impact of emerging therapy strategies. (e.g., Simulate the effect of reprogramming T-cells to target cancer-associated fibroblasts, or simulate a candidate therapeutic agent in a realistic 3-D tissue environment.) More broadly, I would work to form a bridge between the IUSCC and the physical sciences and engineering faculty at IU-Bloomington
M.S. - University of Minnesota, Minneapolis 09/2003
Post-doctoral Fellowship - University of California, Irvine 07/2007
Ph.D. - University of California, Irvine 06/2004
Post-doctoral Fellowship - University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston 02/2010
