Computational models to study the immune response against viral infections

Project 1: Mathematical modelling of T cell trafficking in the liver

This project aims to design a mathematical model to study the trafficking of CD8 T cells in the full body of mice in the absence or presence of antigen.

By taking advantage of ad hoc experimental data we aim at estimating key parameters that regulate T cell trafficking and the subsequent T cell response against antigens presented in lymphoid and non-lymphoid organs. In particular, we are interested in the liver, as this is the only non-lymphoid organ capable of antigen presentation. In collaboration with Dr Patrick Bertolino and Dr David Bowen from the Centenary Institute at Sydney University, we are investigating how T cells traffick to liver in absence and in presence of antigen, and how T cells are eliminated via tolerance mechanisms.

T cell trafficking in the liver

Please contact me for further details (luciani@unsw.edu.au)

HCV founder viruses guide vaccine development. [nid:105459]

Understanding the selection pressures driving the evolutionary dynamics in acute HCV infection [nid:102728]

Modelling the evolution of Hepatitis C virus by integrating large sequence- and immunological-databases. [nid:88576]

Project 2

Mathematical models of viral transmission among heterogeneous human populations

Project 3

Network and transmission dynamics of HCV infections among injecting drug users

Project collaborators: External

Patrick Bertolino, David Bowen Liver Immunology group
Centenary Institute, University of Sydney
Samuel Alizon
CNRS France, Montpellier

Key contact

Medicine & Health
luciani@unsw.edu.au