CBE 298 Seminar: Exploring the Tumor Ecosystem: Modeling Across Scales

Abstract: My research group works in the area of mathematical oncology, where we use mathematical models to decipher the complex networks of reactions inside of cancer cells and interactions between cells. We have combined detailed, mechanistic and data-driven modeling to study these networks and predict ways to control tumor growth. Our models generate novel mechanistic insight into cell behavior and predict the effects of strategies aimed at inhibiting tumor growth. We have also developed methods of calibrating the models to tumor image data to generate reliable predictive frameworks. In this talk, I will present our work to model the tumor ecosystem across scales: intracellular signaling of immune cells, evolution of cell states, and interactions between tumor and immune cells using agent-based models.

Bio: Stacey Finley is the inaugural Nichole A. and Thuan Q. Pham Professor at the University of Southern California. She is professor of Biomedical Engineering and Quantitative and Computational Biology. Finley received her B.S. in chemical engineering from Florida A & M University and obtained her Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Northwestern University. She completed postdoctoral training at Johns Hopkins University in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. Finley joined the faculty at USC in 2013 and leads the Computational Systems Biology Laboratory. She has a joint appointment in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science and is a member of the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center. Finley is also a standing member of the MABS Study Section at NIH. Her research has been supported by grants from the NSF, NIH and American Cancer Society.

Selected Honors: 2016 NSF Faculty Early CAREER Award; 2016 Young Innovator by the Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering journal; Leah Edelstein-Keshet Prize from the Society of Mathematical Biology; Junior Research Award from the USC Viterbi School of Engineering; the Hanna Reisler Mentorship Award; 2018 AACR NextGen Star; 2018 Orange County Engineering Council Outstanding Young Engineer; 2021 Elected Fellow of American Institute for Biological and Medical Engineering; 2022 Fellow of the Biomedical Engineering Society