Speaker
Description
CAR-T therapy, where T cell are genetically modified to respond to CD19-presenting B cells, has revolutionized the treatment of several blood cancers. The immediate effect of this immunotherapy is associated with a significant inflammatory response in the patient, sometimes leading to a tumor that seemingly swells in the days following CAR-T cell injection. This is referred to as pseudo-progression, and in this project we present a mathematical model of CAR-T cell therapy where pro-inflammatory cytokines play a crucial role. The model is capable of capturing a wide range of behaviors, including long-term successful treatments, failed treatments and pseudo-progression. The parametrization of the model maps on to measurable patient characteristics, and we discuss how these parameters impact the long term behavior of the model.
