Computer models suggest ways to reduce side effects of chemotherapy in children

AI Summary

Computer simulations comparing 323 treatment protocols suggest that a blood-cell production support drug may reduce side effects of a specific childhood leukemia treatment when given before chemotherapy. The analysis was conducted by researchers from Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg and could inform treatment timing.

A drug used to support blood cell production (hematopoiesis) could be more effective in a specific leukemia treatment if administered before chemotherapy rather than after it. This was the outcome of computer simulations that involved researchers from Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg. The finding resulted from a comparison of 323 treatment protocols by the research team led by mathematicians professor Dr. Sebastian Sager, Dr. Adrian Reimann and Anna Gebhard from the Institute of Mathematical Optimization.