Project for Research Experiences for Undergraduates

2012 Summer Program, June 11 - August 3, 2012

National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (NIMBioS)
at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Title: Modeling early evolution of human immunodeficiency virus

Mentors: Dr. Vitaly Ganusov (Microbiology), Dr. Calistus Ngonghala (Mathematics)

HIV establishes a life-long chronic infection in vast majority of infected individuals despite strong antiviral responses elicited by the host. High mutation rate of HIV is thought to be one explanation for the ability of the virus to avoid host's immune response yet whether the observed rates of mutation are sufficient to explain rapid appearance of viral variants escaping recognition by T cell immunity is unclear. During this project we will formulate models of HIV evolution and investigate the role of mutation and recombination in early diversification of HIV in patients.

Products

Abstract of project report (PDF)

Return to REU 2012.

NIMBioS
1122 Volunteer Blvd., Suite 106
University of Tennessee
Knoxville, TN 37996-3410
PH: (865) 974-9334
FAX: (865) 974-9461
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From 2008 until early 2021, NIMBioS was supported by the National Science Foundation through NSF Award #DBI-1300426, with additional support from The University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.