Using Math to Support Cancer Research

Stacey Finley from University of Southern California discusses how
mathematical models support the research of cancer biology. Cancer
research is a crucial job, but a difficult one. Tumors growing
inside the human body are affected by all kinds of factors. These
conditions are difficult (if not impossible) to recreate in the
lab, and using real patients as subjects can be painful and
invasive. Mathematical models give cancer researchers the ability
to run experiments virtually, testing the effects of any number of
factors on tumor growth and other processes — all with far less
money and time than an experiment on human subjects or in the lab
would use.