Step into the intersection of mathematics and medicine with Professor Reiko Tanaka, revealing how equations can explain disease and treatment.
Registration links coming soon.
Abstract:
Can mathematics help us understand why diseases like eczema affect people so differently? How can computers reveal why some treatments work for certain patients but not others? In this lecture, I will share my journey from control theory and engineering into the world of computational biology and medicine: a path that has been both unexpected and deeply rewarding.
I will describe how my research group develops mathematical models and computational approaches to decode the complexity of biological systems and human disease. Our bodies are remarkable control systems: they constantly sense changes, process information, and adjust responses to maintain subtle balance. Through examples spanning eczema, asthma, and infectious diseases, I will illustrate how equations can unveil biological insights: how our immune system responds and adapts, why diseases progress differently across individuals, and how we might predict which treatments will work best for each patient.
Through stories of collaboration, discovery, and the occasional challenge, this lecture celebrates the transformative power of interdisciplinary thinking. It demonstrates how bringing together mathematics, biology, and medicine opens new frontiers in our understanding of health and our ability to treat disease more effectively.
