Project Info
Three stage modeling and anti-retroviral treatment strategies for in-host HIV dynamics
Project Goals and Description:
Recently, a mathematical model was developed to accurately represent the entire time course of HIV disease dynamics within an infected patient. However, the full dynamical behavior of the model and its dependence on associated parameters are not well understood. The general focus of this project is to investigate these issues and categorize the behavior of steady state solutions, which represent infected and uninfected equilibria. Additionally, realistic treatment schedules for anti-retroviral therapy (or ART) have not been developed to mitigate the decrease in the T-cell count experienced by patients undergoing the transition from the chronic stage to the onset of AIDS. Hence, such strategies will be further constructed. Finally, multiscale analysis may be used to elucidate the impact of ART within the model.
More Information:
Publications on my research website:
https://inside.mines.edu/~pankavic
Primary Contacts:
Student Preparation
Qualifications
Interested students should have familiarity with ordinary and partial differential equations (MATH 225 and MATH 455), linear algebra (MATH 332), and scientific computing (MATH 307). Additionally, they should be open to learning more about the background biology or biophysics inherent within the problems of interest.
TIME COMMITMENT (HRS/WK)
SKILLS/TECHNIQUES GAINED
The student will gain modeling skills by creating and modifying existing mathematical models and hone their computational skills by coding in MATLAB and/or Python.
MENTORING PLAN
The student will meet weekly with me and possibly a graduate student or collaborator when necessary.