Modelling adherence to HIV therapy

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The main objective of my research program is to describe and understand the manner in which HIV-positive patients adhere to their prescribed treatment regimens. This is done by development and analysis of mathematical models and through data-model fitting.Adherence to HIV medication has been described as the most urgent problem in medical research today. Very little theoretical work has been done to understand these complex patterns of human behaviour, of doctor-prescribed treatment breaks, of the interaction of side-effects upon a patient's decision to pause treatment. This involves both immunological (within-host) and epidemiological (population-wide) models in order to determine how adherence facilitates the emergence of drug resistance.The models can also be used to determine the best time to take a break from therapy and how long such a break should be. They will also determine the best time to change treatment regimes.The analysis is primarily focussed on control strategies, including treatment, vaccines, microbicides and boosting of the immune system, as well as the nature of what happens when such control strategies fail.