Prof. Ganesh Viswanathan

Deciphering the cell survival-death balance: Modeling TNFα signaling in AML

Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) is an aggressive blood cancer characterized by significant cellular heterogeneity. Within the tumor microenvironment, high levels of Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha (TNFα) trigger predominantly a survival phenotypic response, though a small fraction perishes. What dictates this fate is the complex signal flow through intracellular networks at single-cell level. In this talk, we integrate mathematical modeling with experimental measurements from AML tissue to map the dynamical cross-talk governing these phenotypic responses. By unravelling these signaling pathways, we identify specific strategies to modulate signal flow and tip the balance toward programmed cell death.