MODELING OF IMMUNE RESPONSES IN INFECTIOUS DISEASES

这个子项目是许多研究子项目中的一个 由NIH/NCRR资助的中心赠款提供的资源。子项目和 研究者（PI）可能从另一个NIH来源获得了主要资金， 因此可在其他CRISP条目中表示。所列机构为 研究中心，而研究中心不一定是研究者所在的机构。 最近有许多实验室技术的发展，可以量化针对感染的免疫反应。反过来，这些新的定量数据的可用性使得有可能，而且确实需要开发新的理论定量模型来帮助解释它们。在这项提案中，我们正在开发针对病毒感染的免疫反应模型。我们特别强调两种重要的感染，即B型肝炎病毒（HBV）和丙型肝炎病毒（HCV）感染。这两种病毒都感染肝细胞，并可能导致慢性感染和严重的肝脏疾病，这被认为主要是由于免疫反应。相反，最初的免疫反应在决定感染结果方面至关重要  无论个体是根除感染还是成为慢性感染。然而，这些病毒的早期免疫反应的动力学和质量是不同的。我们正在开发数学模型，这些模型将被用来帮助解释数据，并有可能计划新的实验。我们的模型包括病毒和免疫细胞群体的动态，最初是基于用于研究人类免疫缺陷病毒（HIV）的非常成功的方法。针对具有相似但不相同病理的病毒的免疫反应的比较建模，其中有越来越多的实验数据，这将有助于我们更好地理解这些疾病，以及对病毒的免疫力。

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. There have been many recent developments of laboratory techniques that allow the quantification of immune responses against infections. In turn, the availability of these new quantitative data makes possible, and indeed necessitates, the development of new theoretical quantitative models to help interpret them. In this proposal, we are developing models of immune responses against viral infections. We specifically address two important infections, hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Both these viruses infect liver cells, and may lead to chronic infection and serious liver disease, which is thought to be mostly due to the immune response. Conversely, the initial immune response is crucial in determining the outcome of infection  whether an individual eradicates infection or becomes chronically infected. However, the dynamics and quality of the early immune response are different in these viruses. We are developing mathematical modelsm informed by the new data available, which will be used to help interpret the data and potentially to plan new experiments. Our models include the dynamics of the virus and immune cell populations, and initially are based on very successful approach used to study human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Comparative modeling of the immune responses against viruses with similar but not identical pathologies, for which there is a growing amount of experimental data, will help us understand not only these diseases better, but also immunity against viruses in general.