Modeling the immune response to HIV infection

• Published in: Current opinion in systems biology 2018-12, Vol.12, p.61-69
• Main Authors: Conway, Jessica M., Ribeiro, Ruy M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES; Biological Science
• ISSN: 2452-3100; 2452-3100
• DOI: 10.1016/j.coisb.2018.10.006

The interplay between immune response and HIV is intensely studied via mathematical modeling, with significant insights but few direct answers. In this short review, we highlight advances and knowledge gaps across different aspects of immunity. In particular, we identify the innate immune response and its role in priming the adaptive response as ripe for modeling. The latter have been the focus of most modeling studies, but we also synthesize key outstanding questions regarding effector mechanisms of cellular immunity and development of broadly neutralizing antibodies. Thus far, most modeling studies aimed to infer general immune mechanisms; we foresee that significant progress will be made next by detailed quantitative fitting of models to data, and prediction of immune responses. •Modeling is essential to gain insight into the role of immune responses in HIV.•Modeling in HIV paved the way to a burgeoning field of immune modeling in infection.•Modeling of innate responses in HIV is in its infancy and is ripe for novel quantitative studies.•Key questions regarding the mechanism of CD8+ T cell responses and CTL escape remain.•Immunotherapeutic strategies against HIV are fertile ground for modeling.