Undergraduate Mathematical Sciences Seminar
Thursday, February 15, 12:30--1:50pm
Modeling an autocatalytic enzyme
Joseph Hua Tien, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
Aspirin works by blocking an enzyme called COX. This enzyme possesses
some interesting kinetic features. In particular, it is autocatalytic,
meaning that the enzyme can activate itself. I'll discuss a simple model
of this enzyme, analyze the model using basic techniques from dynamical
systems and multiple scales, and interpret the results biologically. This
includes the relevance of COX to cancer research and the pharmaceutical
industry.