17/10/2008
El investigador contratado por la Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha (UCLM) Gabriel Fernández Calvo, ha sido premiado por el Instituto Fields para Investigación en Ciencias Matemáticas de Toronto, por su modelo matemático que describe cómo evoluciona la población de células tumorales en condiciones de hipoxia y de variación de nutrientes y acidez, y cómo éstas pueden desencadenar el proceso de la metástasis.
El profesor de la UCLM ha sido el único representante de universidades españolas que ha participado en el programa temático dedicado a la ‘Matemática del cáncer’ celebrado por el Instituto Fields en colaboración con distintas instituciones como el Centro Vanderbilt de biología y Cáncer y el Centro de Medicina Matemática de Canadá.
El modelo matemático propuesto y resuelto por Gabriel Fernández es uno de los primeros éxitos obtenidos por la línea de investigación iniciada hace dos años en el Departamento de Matemáticas de la UCLM por los grupos que dirige el profesor Víctor Pérez en la Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros Industriales de Ciudad Real y la profesora Henar Herrero en la Facultad de Ciencias Químicas de Ciudad Real. La ‘Matemática del cáncer’, según estos grupos, “no sólo constituye un reto teórico para la investigación matemática, sino que puede llegar a proporcionar soluciones al que es sin duda uno de los problemas biosanitarios más serios a los que se enfrenta la sociedad actual” y consideran que “la UCLM podría jugar un papel significativo en este sentido”.
La celebración de este programa viene justificada porque en los últimos años algunos de los mayores expertos mundiales en oncología han puesto de manifiesto la necesidad de que las matemáticas sirvan, a través de sus herramientas, para hacer más cuantitativo y predictivo el ingente volumen de conocimiento acumulado por experimentación, diagnóstico y tratamiento de las distintas enfermedades que engloban lo que genéricamente se conoce como cáncer.
A dicho programa han concurrido expertos y jóvenes investigadores procedentes de prestigiosos centros médicos, hospitalarios y universitarios, entre ellos la UCLM, que fue la única universidad española representada en el mismo. El programa ha incluido numerosas ponencias por parte de distintos expertos y se han planteado un conjunto de problemas motivados directamente por situaciones a las que tienen que hacer frente los oncólogos y que, tal y como ellos mismos recalcan, requieren de nuevos métodos inspirados por las Matemáticas.
1) Why is it important to work with professionals from different subjects/fields?
2) Is it a clear case of Applied or Pure Maths?
1) Why is it important to work with professionals from different subjects/fields?
I think that work with professionals from different subject/fields it’s so importatn because like the text say, mathematics play a significant role in the disease of cancer. It’s important work with porfessionals from different subjects too because in other areas of other subjects can help, like the text say. Let’s think one example: One person had learned some physics and other person had learned some maths, and the person that had studied math wants to invent something. This person needs help of anyone that had studied physics to finish the invent, and thanks to the help of the person the invent is finish. The conclusion of this example is that with the help of the person that had learned physics, the other person have finish the invent.
2) Is it a clear case of Applied or Pure Maths?
I think that is a clear case of Applied Maths because the text says about scientist, chemicals… It’s a case of Applied Maths too becasue scientists and chemicals doesn’t do easy problems, fot that reason is Applied math, because at the school we don’t do the problemes that the text say. At the school we do Pure Maths.
1)Why is it important to work with professionals from different subjects/fields?
I think that it’s so important to work with professionals from different subjects or fields, because to do one experiment or research we need professionals of different subjects, because one person can applied one thing and other person that had study an other subject can applied other things. I think that one person that it’s professional only in one subject can not solve a very difficult research or experiment with the help of other professionals in other subjects. FOr example if we look at Miquel’s examples we realize that is very difficult to do an experiment without the help of other professionals.
2)Is it a clear case of Applied or Pure Maths?
Like Miquel says in school we do Pure Maths, well sometimes we do some activities od applied maths but no so much, almost always we do pure maths. So, we realise that the text is a clear example of applied maths, because the scientists applied maths to solve some problems, in this case the problem of Cancer.
1) Why is it important to work with professionals from different subjects/fields?
It’s very important because each one can add a grain of sand, something different for solve the problem that both have, because with different knowledge’s you can solve the same question. For example, when you make a Group, each member of it will work in what he or she do better, I mean, that they will take out the best part of them, then the group will be ok. It’s the same as a clock; it doesn’t work if all the pieces are not in the place.
2) Is it a clear case of Applied or Pure Maths?
As Miquel I think it’s a clear case of apply maths, because in that case we use maths for solve real problems as Cancer. The most part of the maths we learn are aplly maths, but I can’t understand how maths can cure a person with cancer, I think that is a little strange, but knowing that maths can predict the future by statistics I can imagine almost everything from maths.
1) I think that is so important to work with professionals from different subjects/fields because sometimes you can¡t finish something without the help of another person. In this case, I think that a mathematician can’t do it alone because this experiment has an experimental part that only know how to do it a scientific. So, for example, a mathematic needs the help of a scientific to discover something. And a scientific maybe needs the help of a mathematician to do some calculations about an experiment. So, all the professionals need help of another professional to do something.
2) It’s a clear case of applied mathematics because in this case, the mathematics are aplicated to the real life, to discover something about cancer. So, maths in this situations the mathematicians need maths to discover something about the real life. And pure mathematics are more simple than that.
1) Why is it important to work with professionals from different subjects/fields?
I think it’s important because each person can contribute to solve the problem with the help of other persons. As Julia said, when you make a group (especially in our think and discuss in class), each person in the group is better at some things and other people is good at other things. We put our theories under a discussion, and if for example we’re wrong or we don’t understand something, we have the help of our partners that helps us to understand. So together we can solve our doubts and help each other.
So my conclusion, as Ana has said is that all professionals need help from other professionals to do something. An example of my conclusion it could be the same example as Miquel, because I think that it’s a very good example.
2)Is it a clear case of Applied or Pure Maths?
It’s a clear case of applied maths because they are using maths to solve problems (in this case the problem of Cancer).
1) I think it’s important because if someone has any doubt about something you know very well, you can help him/her. Or if it is you the one who has doubts, any other person who knows about the subject can help you. For example, if you’re good at math, you could help someone that isn’t good at it. But if you’re not good, you can always find someone. This would be another way to share knowledge. Help and let help!
2) I think in this case it’s really clear that it’s a case of applied maths, because that guy used his knowledge to APPLY it to our daily life, and contribute putting his little grain of sand to solve the problem of this illness.
I think that I can put a good exmple of it: mathematics has a lot of branches and if we are studying for example sequences, this one has some branches too like for example geometric sequences and arithmetic sequences. So imagine that someone is studying algebra that is one of the branches of mathematics but this person didn’t study the sequences and while he or she is studyng algebra appears an arithmetic sequence but the person that is studiyng algebra doesn’t identify that sequence and cannot continue studying so tocontinue he will need the help of a person that has studied another branch of mathematics, in this case sequences. That’s not a real exmple ‘cause when you study mathematics you will study a little bitof every one of the branches so you will adquire the necessary knowledgeto follow your problem (like in the example). But you can compare the example with the information in the text and what you are asking and you’ll see that it’s almost the same situation.
And of course it’s a real case of applied and pure mathematics and in this case We can say once again that science has turned to its origins (mathematics) to advance and solve some problems.