Speaker
Description
The majority of ordinary differential equation models that exist in the literature focus on steady state equilibria or long-term outcomes, with very few emphasizing the transient nature of these systems of equations. In this work, we present a reduced system of ODEs to investigate the kinetics and transient nature of T cell activation in response to acute viral infection. Through an analysis of the system, we identify a T cell threshold that governs how the system solutions behave, as well as whether or not immune control over infection is attained. As a case study, we investigate influenza infection in young (aged 12-16 weeks) and aged (aged 72-76 weeks) mice in order to identify differences in the immune response between the two groups of mice. The results of our case study and analysis show that there is a distinct shift in the T cell threshold between young and aged mice, indicating the existence of a regulatory mechanism by which differences in the immune response due to aging can be explained. These results also highlight the importance of investigating the transient dynamics of ODE systems, especially as they relate to determining the outcomes of acute infection.
