Mission
The MCS SIG is a forum for ISoP members sharing common interests in advancing mathematical and computational techniques in pharmacometrics. Our goals include increasing awareness within the ISoP community of existing or emerging MCS methods, offering training in their use, and providing guidance for rigorous and impactful applications. We also maintain ties with mathematical communities around the world to promote pharmacometrics as a scientific discipline generating a variety of interesting theoretical and applied problems.
Goals
The activities of the MCS SIG are focused on the following themes:
- Networking: Increase ties between the broader MCS community and pharmacometrics, including other SIGs; provide venues for learning and collaboration.
- Learning: Act as a resource for the pharmacometrics community, including students, through recommended reading, courses, conference sessions, and online discussions and materials.
- Collaboration: Help identify and publicize existing MCS methods for pharmacometrics needs; promote opportunities for MCS researchers to develop new theories, methods, and computational tools.
Working Groups
Delays in PKPD Working Group
Delays between pharmacological intervention and biomarker of interest in a study of drug pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics are inherent part of any biological system. In pharmacokinetics we experience absorption or/and distributional delays. In pharmacodynamics we deal with delays associated with signal transduction, apoptosis, immune system priming, cell lifespan and maturation and many more mechanisms. Classical modeling approaches (apart from biophase or indirect response models) towards delays include lag times and transit compartments. Recently, delay differential equations (DDEs), and distributed delay differential equations (DDDEs) have become increasingly used in modeling of drug absorption, optimal control of drug dosing regimens, and cell trafficking. Although those latter mathematical techniques are widely used in many applied sciences such as engineering, epidemiology, or finance, their use in pharmacometrics have been limited by two factors: 1) Underlying mathematical theory; 2) Availability of software.
Members: Wojciech Krzyzanski, PhD (University at Buffalo, USA), Johannes Schropp, PhD (University of Konstanz, Germany), Robert Bauer, PhD (ICON Plc, USA).
Sensitivity Analysis and Uncertainty Quantification (SAUQ) Working Group
The Sensitivity Analysis and Uncertainty Quantification (SAUQ) working group in the Mathematical and Computational Sciences Special Interest Group was formed to encourage use of sensitivity analysis (SA) and uncertainty quantification (UQ) by practitioners in the field. SAUQ aims to collate and disseminate relevant knowledge of the domain to the broader pharmacometrics community.
Co‑chairs: Helen Moore and Ralph Smith