AUTHOR=Radunskaya Ami , de Pillis Lisette , Gallegos Angela 

TITLE=A Model of Dendritic Cell Therapy for Melanoma

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Oncology

VOLUME=3

YEAR=2013

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/oncology/articles/10.3389/fonc.2013.00056

DOI=10.3389/fonc.2013.00056

ISSN=2234-943X

ABSTRACT=<p>Dendritic cells are a promising immunotherapy tool for boosting an individual’s antigen-specific immune response to cancer. We develop a mathematical model using differential and delay-differential equations to describe the interactions between dendritic cells, effector-immune cells, and tumor cells. We account for the trafficking of immune cells between lymph, blood, and tumor compartments. Our model reflects experimental results both for dendritic cell trafficking and for immune suppression of tumor growth in mice. In addition, <italic>in silico</italic> experiments suggest more effective immunotherapy treatment protocols can be achieved by modifying dose location and schedule. A sensitivity analysis of the model reveals which patient-specific parameters have the greatest impact on treatment efficacy.</p>