Special Thematic Program on "Mathematical and Quantitative Oncology"

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Cancer research is at a critical juncture in the interaction of mathematical and biological knowledge for understanding cancer. Mathematical modeling of cancer dynamics has improved to such an extent that we are at a point where mathematical models can be used to probe cancer etiology and progression and guide experimental research in an informed manner. The combination of multi-scale mathematical modeling techniques and immense computing power affords the possibility of integrating basic cancer biology through genetic, sub-cellular, cellular, tissue, and epidemiologic levels. The continuation of recent research progress in this interdisciplinary field requires the training of young researchers to develop these specialized skills. This two-month program of workshops will help to produce an energetic community of young researchers in this field.The plan of this research program is the organization of multidisciplinary meetings focused on major outstanding problems in oncology. The series of meetings will combine the expertise and intellectual resources of three leading institutes: the Fields Institute in Toronto, the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, and the Vanderbilt Integrative Cancer Biology Center in Nashville. The direct impact of NSF funding will be the training of a significant number of junior United States researchers (junior faculty, postdoctoral fellows and graduate students), who will gain the opportunity to participate in the workshops. This interdisciplinary program in oncology will bring together researchers in the mathematical/physical sciences, oncologists and cancer biologists to address a range of challenging problems and topics in cancer research.