How Can Math Help Beat Cancer?

Cancer research is evolving to include statistical and mathematical models to optimize treatment strategies. Computational biologist Franziska Michor studies how cancer cells evolve and develop resistance to therapies. Her work combines mathematical modeling, bioinformatics, and machine learning to predict optimal treatment plans from vast amounts of biological data. This approach allows researchers to efficiently explore millions of potential treatment combinations without extensive animal testing. Michor is particularly excited about advances in early cancer detection and prevention using blood tests and machine learning.