kirschner1

Title

Immunotherapy of HIV-1 infection.

Authors

Denise E. Kirschner (1) and G. F. Webb (2)

Affiliations

1) Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-0620, USA. 2) Department of Mathematics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37240, USA.

Abstract

A number of lines of evidence suggest that immunotherapy with the cytokine interleukin-2 (IL-2) may boost the immune response to fight HIV infection. CD4+ T cells, the cells which orchestrate the immune response, are also the cells that become infected by the HIV virus. These cells use cytokines as signaling mechanisms for immune-response stimulation, growth and differentiation. Since CD4+ T cells are hampered due to HIV infection, normal signaling, and the resulting cascade, may not occur. Introduction of IL-2 into the system can restore or enhance these effects. We illustrate, through mathematical modeling, the effects of IL-2 treatment on an HIV-infected patient. With good comparison to existing clinical data, we can better understand what mechanisms of immune-viral dynamics are necessary to produce the typical disease dynamics.

Journal

Journal of Biological Systems, Vol. 6, No. 1 (1998) 71-83

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