Modeling AIDS vaccines: the cellular level

• Main Authors: Claudio J. Struchiner, M. Elizabeth Halloran
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Ministério da Saúde 1992-03-01
• Series: Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz.
• Subjects: AIDS vaccines; vaccine models
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0074-02761992000100017

This paper discuses current strategies for the development of AIDS vaccines wich allow immunzation to disturb the natural course of HIV at different detailed stages of its life cycle. Mathematical models describing the main biological phenomena (i.e. virus and vaccine induced T4 cell growth; virus and vaccine induced activation latently infected T4 cells; incremental changes immune response as infection progress; antibody dependent enhancement and neutralization of infection) and allowing for different vaccination strategies serve as a backgroud for computer simulations. The mathematical models reproduce updated information on the behavior of immune cells, antibody concentrations and free viruses. The results point to some controversial outcomes of an AIDS vaccine such as an early increase in virus concentration among vaccinated when compared to nonvaccinated individuals.