A novel mathematical model of AIDS-associated Kaposi sarcoma: Analysis and optimal control.

A novel mathematical model of AIDS-associated Kaposi sarcoma: Analysis and optimal control. Biosystems. 2020 Dec 09;:104318 Authors: Kaondera-Shava RF, Lungu E, Szomolay B Abstract Kaposi sarcoma (KS) has been the most common HHV-8 virus-induced neoplasm associated with HIV infection. Although the standard KS therapy has not changed in 20 years, not all cases of KS will respond to the same therapy. The goal of current AIDS-KS treatment modalities is to reconstitute the immune system and suppress HIV-1 replication, but newer treatment modalities are on horizon. There are very few mathematical models that have included HIV-1 viral load (VL) measures, despite VL being a key determinant of treatment outcome. Here we introduce a mathematical model that consolidates the effect of both HIV-1 and HHV-8 VL on KS tumor progression by incorporating low or high VLs into the proliferation terms of the immune cell populations. Regulation of HIV-1/HHV-8 VL and viral reservoir cells is crucial for restoring a patient to an asymptomatic stage. Therefore, an optimal control strategy given by a combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) is derived. The results indicate that the drug treatment strategies are capable of removing the viral reservoirs faster and consequently, the HIV and KS tumor burden is reduced. The predictions of the mathematical model have the potential to offer more effective therapeutic interventions based on viral and virus-infected ce...
Source: Biosystems - Category: Biotechnology Authors: Tags: Biosystems Source Type: research