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M.Sc. Yuri Kheifetz

After completing his B.Sc. in Life Science and Mathematics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Yuri spent two more years at the Hebrew University studying Near Field microscope applications to micro-manipulations in biophysics, under the supervision of Prof Aharon Lewis. Yuri holds an M.Sc. degree in Applied Mathematics from the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology. His M.Sc. study involved mathematical combustion theory. At IMBM, Yuri employs his skills in applied mathematics for developing mechanism-based models of cancer drug therapy and its accompanying physiological side effects.

Scientific activity in 2010

Over the past years, Yuri together with Moran Elishmereni formulated and implemented a general mathematical model of platelet dynamics under chemotherapy, combined with Interleukin 11 (IL-11) treatment. It has been calibrated on PK/PD data, and conditions for an existing single stable steady state have been found. Optimal treatment regimens have been identified. The results are now being summarized in a paper, to be submitted.

Together with Moran Elishmereni, Yuri has constructed and validated an elaborate pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic disease model of Interleukin (IL)-21, a cytokine in development for immunotherapy in melanoma and renal carcinoma patients. The model was prospectively validated using preclinical data from NovoNordisk AG, and has yielded important therapeutic insights concerning clinical IL-21 therapy.

This year, Yuri has also managed NONMEM (Nonlinear Mixed effect models) approach in population PK/PD modeling, and has conducted a course on this topic as well as on some statistical issues of the modeling for IMBM members.

Work program for 2011

This year, Yuri's research subjects will be as follows: In this year Yuri will continue modeling PK/PD of different cytokines in the context of finding optimal regimens for cancer treatment. Yuri will also implement NONMEM and Bayesian inference approaches to the complex PK/PD/disease models and will assist IMBM members in implementing modern modeling and statistical techniques. Yuri will also be involved in the metastasis project (with Ofir Shukrun).

Publications

Elishmereni M, Kheifetz Y, Agur Z. New strategies of Interleukin-11 therapy for thrombocytopenia based on a mathematical PK/PD analysis. 2011 In preparation.
Kheifetz Y, Elishmereni M, Horowitz S, Agur Z.. Fluid-retention side-effects of the chemotherapy-supportive treatment Interleukin-11: Mathematical modelling of putative underlying mechanisms. Computational and Mathematical Methods in Medicine 2006 7(2-3):71-84.
Kheifetz Y, Kogan Y, Agur Z. Long-range predictability in models of cell populations subjected to phase-specific drugs: growth-rate approximation using properties of positive compact operators, Mathematical Models and Methods in Applied Sciences(M3AS) 2006 Vol. 16, No. 8.
Forys U, Kheifetz Y, Kogan Y. Critical point analysis for three-dimensional cancer angiogenesis models, Mathematical Biosciences and Engineering. August 2005 vol.2, Number 3.
Kheifetz Y, Kogan Y, Agur Z. Matrix and compact operator description of resonance and antiresonance in cell populations subjected to phase specific drugs, Journal of Medical Informatics & Technologies, October 2004 Vol. 8: MM-11 – MM-29.
Lewis A, Kheifetz Y, Shambrodt E, Radko A, Khachatryan A. Fountain pen nanochemistry: Atomic force control of chrome etching. Applied physics letters 1999 vol. 75, no. 17: 2689-2691.