A Bistable Switch in HIV Disease Outcome for Antibody Treatment Following the Onset of Recurrent Aphthous Oral Ulcers

ELISE PHAM, Harvard College '26

THURJ Volume 14 | Issue 2

Abstract

Understanding the interplay between the humoral immune response and viral dynamics is critical for developing effective strategies against HIV infection. While verbal reasoning falls short due to the complexity of these interactions, mathematical models offer insight into the dynamics of virus-antibody interactions. This study builds upon previous work conducted by Ciupe et al. 2018 by integrating experimental data with mathematical modeling to investigate the impact of antibody concentration and timing on HIV disease outcomes by exploring the relationship between viral inoculum size and disease
persistence in three scenarios of SIV infection. Our findings reveal bistable switches between viral clearance and persistence between I(t) = 1.04 × 1012 and I(t) = 1.05 × 1012, where I(t) represents the infusion rate of antibodies, measured in units of antibodies per day. Additionally, this paper investigates the effect of initial inoculum size on viral clearance, observing clearance when I(t) = 1.04 × 1012 and the initial viral inoculum size is ≤ 18.6/300 vRNA copies per ml. Although these findings underscore the significance of antibody-mediated responses in controlling HIV infection and suggest avenues for improving treatment strategies, further research into the optimal duration and timing of antibody treatment is essential for enhancing treatment efficacy and refining predictive models.