Formalizing an integrative, multidisciplinary cancer therapy discovery workflow

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Systems Biology
• Computational Biology

Background:

• Limited collaboration hinders cancer research progress due to constraints in time, distance, data, and budget.
• Effective integration of diverse expertise is crucial for advancing cancer therapy development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a workflow template for multidisciplinary cancer therapy development.
• To demonstrate the template's application in creating a metronomic therapy backbone for neuroblastoma.
• To outline an interdisciplinary collaboration model for systematic investigation and validation of novel cancer therapies.

Main Methods:

• Development of an integrative workflow template involving clinicians, biologists, and quantitative scientists.
• Application of the template to a neuroblastoma metronomic therapy backbone.
• Description of parallel/sequential processes, data sources, computational tools, and iterative development stages.

Main Results:

• The workflow facilitates dialogue between theoreticians and experimentalists, leading to predictive models.
• Calibrated models inform and formalize testable hypotheses, accelerating discovery and validation.
• The process reduces laboratory resources and costs while enhancing therapeutic development.

Conclusions:

• The developed template provides a systematic framework for interdisciplinary collaboration in cancer therapy research.
• This workflow enhances the investigation of mechanistic underpinnings and validation of new therapies.
• The approach aims to expedite the advancement and clinical acceptance of novel cancer treatments.