Location: Fields Institute , 222 College Street, Toronto

May 15, 2009- 3:30 p.m.
Alan Perelson
Theoretical Biology & Biophysics Group, Los Alamos National Laboratory

The Dynamics of Virus Infection and Treatment

I will present the fundamental principles of a new field called viral dynamics. I will illustrate those principles using examples from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. I will show how, using simple dynamic models combined with experimental data, one is able to uncover basic features of the biology of viral infection and assess the efficacy of different treatment protocols. If time permits, I will present both stochastic and deterministic models. The talk will illustrate how using kinetic information has changed the way clinical trials of new antiviral agents are performed as well as how it has influenced the strategies by which anti-viral therapies are administered.