Mathematical Modeling of Pediatric Leukemia: Logical Modeling Approach

A Master of Science in Mathematics by Valery Lacoste entitled, “Mathematical Modeling of Pediatric Leukemia: Logical Modeling Approach”, submitted in May 2024. Thesis advisor is Dr. Abdul Salam Jarrah. Soft copy is available (Thesis, Completion Certificate, Approval Signatures, and AUS Archives Consent Form).

Abstract

Cancer is considered a world health issue, especially for children. Currently, cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States and leukemia is the second leading cause of cancer death among children and adolescents younger than 20. B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia is a type of blood cancer that affects the body’s immune system and creates immature B-cells that no longer fulfill their designated role. Numerous biological studies have tried to understand this disease and suggest possible treatment strategies. So far these methods have limitations and give mixed results. Mathematical models have recently been used to shed some light on the complexities of cancer and develop a mechanistic understanding of the cancer processes, in particular logical network models have recently been developed to study the development of cancer cells and their interactions with their environment. In this thesis, a discrete logical network model is constructed to study the gene regulatory network in pediatric B-cells with a focus on the genes that are known to play a key role in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The dynamics of the model is analyzed and used to suggest hypotheses and predictions.