# Mathematical modeling of the combined effects of thermal burn and local irradiation

## TL;DR

This paper introduces a new mathematical model to study the combined effects of radiation and thermal burn injuries, improving predictions of their impact.

## Contribution

A novel mechanistic model capturing synergistic effects of radiation and burn injury with limited data.

## Key findings

- The model successfully reproduces inflammatory and fibroblast behaviors seen in thermal and combined injuries.
- Sensitivity analysis and parameter sampling enabled effective use of limited data for modeling.
- The framework allows for better exploration of inflammatory mechanisms in radiation combined injury.

## Abstract

Radiation combined injury (RCI), resulting from ionizing radiation exposure accompanied by other injuries such as burn, laceration, or fracture, is associated with higher rates of mortality and severe effects. Current available models lack the ability to capture synergistic effects associated with RCI and/or rely on data-driven approaches that are limited in their predictive capabilities. To address this, we developed a mechanistic mathematical model for local radiation exposure combined with burn injury that captures the inflammatory response and early fibroblast activity associated with injury resolution. We utilized sensitivity analysis and parameter sampling methods to leverage limited data. The model was able to reproduce inflammatory and fibroblast behavior consistent with observed thermal injury and combined injury profiles. The formulation of a mechanistic model for combined injury adds increased modeling flexibility allowing for further exploration of the underlying inflammatory mechanisms and provides a framework for leveraging minimal data for improved predictive models of RCI.