Overview

We know, down to the tiniest details, the molecular structure of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Yet despite this tremendous accomplishment, and despite other remarkable advances in our understanding of individual viruses and cells of the immune system, we still have no agreed understanding of the ultimate course and variability of the pathogenesis of AIDS. Gaps in our understanding like these impede our efforts towards developing effective therapies and preventive vaccines. Martin Nowak and Robert M May describe the emerging field of theoretical immunology in this accessible and well- written text. Using mathematical modelling techniques, the authors set out their ideas about how populations of viruses and populations of immune system cells may interact in various circumstances, and how infectious diseases spread within patients. They explain how this approach to understanding infectious diseases can reveal insights into the dynamics of viral and other infections, and the interactions between infectious agents and immune responses. The book is structured around the examples of HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis B virus, although the approaches described will be more widely applicable. The authors use mathematical tools to uncover the detailed dynamics of the infection and the effects of antiviral therapy. Models are developed to describe the emergence of drug resistance, and the dynamics of immune responses, viral evolution, and mutation. The practical implications of this work for optimisation of the design of therapy and vaccines are discussed. The book concludes with a glance towards the future of this fascinating, and potentially highly useful, field of study.

Full Product Details

Author:   Martin Nowak (Professor of Theoretical Biology, Professor of Theoretical Biology, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, USA) ,  Robert M. May (Department of Zoology, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford)
Publisher:   Oxford University Press
Imprint:   Oxford University Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.60cm , Height: 1.40cm , Length: 23.50cm
Weight:   0.358kg
ISBN:  

9780198504177

ISBN 10:   0198504179
Pages:   250
Publication Date:   23 November 2000
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   To order  
Stock availability from the supplier is unknown. We will order it for you and ship this item to you once it is received by us.

Table of Contents

Preface 1: Introduction: Viruses, immunity, equations 2: HIV 3: The basic model of virus dynamics 4: Anti-viral drug therapy 5: Dynamics of hepatitis B virus 6: Dynamics of immune responses 7: How fast do immune responses eliminate infected cells? 8: What is a quasispecies 9: The frequency of resistant mutant virus before anti-viral therapy 10: Emergence of drug resistance 11: Timing the emergence of resistance 12: Simple antigenic variation 13: Advanced antigenic variation 14: Multiple epitopes 15: Everything we know so far and beyond Appendix A - Dynamics of resistance in different types of infected cells Appendix B - Analysis of multiple epitope dynamics

Reviews

... an excellent introduction to a field that has the potential to advance substantially our understanding of the complex interplay between virus and host Nature

Author Information

Tab Content 6

Author Website:  

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

No review item found!

Add your own review!

Countries Available

All regions