Mathematical Modelling of the Repair Dynamics of Alkylation Damage to DNA in Mammalian Cells

This project will consider the dynamics of the base excision repair (BER) DNA repair pathway. An individual cell has to decide whether to repair damaged DNA, which has certain inherent risks, or to trigger cell death. A mathematical model for the dynamics of BER will be derived and model predictions will be compared with experimental data, which will be collected as part of the project, using available experimentally-determined parameters. Optimisation will be used to update the parameter values in order to improve the fit of the model to the experimental profiles. The model will then be used to predict the maximum capacity of the cells for repair of this type of lesion and the patterns of accumulation and dissipation of other intermediates.

Collaborators: Philip Aston (Mathematics), Ruan Elliot (Nutrition and Metabolism), Lisiane Meira (Nutrition and Metabolism)