Modelling the control of cell proliferation by an anti-cancer agent

A mathematical model has been developed which describes human cell growth in the presence of topotecan (TPT), an anti-cancer agent. Previously, a model was developed for the pharmacokinetics (PK) of TPT; this provided a description of the activity of TPT and the subsequent delivery of the active form to the nuclear DNA target. This model is described briefly in this paper. The development of a new pharmacodynamic (PD) model for cell growth, based on a well-known cell cycle model is then discussed. The linking of the PK model to the PD model is considered with respect to the modulation of cell growth. Our PK - PD model has good agreement with in vitro experimental data. In a clinical context, it is intended that the model will be used for discovering routes for drug resistance and eventually as a tool for improving drug treatments for patients.