My research for almost 30 years has focused on questions related to the immune response aspect of host-pathogen interactions in infectious diseases. My research has pioneered models of host-pathogen dynamics at multiple spatial and time scales and in multiple physiological compartments including lung, lymph nodes and blood. We were one of the first people to publish a immune-viral model in 1991, and we were the only group to publish in the area of i Immune responses to Tuberculosis modeling for a decade, and our models, GranSim (granuloma scale model) and HostSim (whole-host model) are continually updated with the latest data from our experimental collaborators (mostly using a non-human primate system). Our goals is to understand the complex dynamics involved, together with how perturbations to this interaction (via treatment with chemotherapies or vaccines) can lead to prolonged or permanent health. These works all fall under the category of Digital Twins, and we are part of the pioneers of this field. Thus, most work in development and analysis of agent-based model in infection builds off these efforts, principles and tools that we and our collaborators have established. These papers highlight our recent studies related to Lymph nodes and TB (out of 160+ papers)My research for almost 30 years has focused on questions related to the immune response aspect of host-pathogen interactions in infectious diseases. My research has pioneered models of host-pathogen dynamics at multiple spatial and time scales and in multiple physiological compartments including lung, lymph nodes and blood. We were one of the first people to publish a immune-viral model in 1991, and we were the only group to publish in the area of i Immune responses to Tuberculosis modeling for a decade, and our models, GranSim (granuloma scale model) and HostSim (whole-host model) are continually updated with the latest data from our experimental collaborators (mostly using a non-human primate system). Our goals is to understand the complex dynamics involved, together with how perturbations to this interaction (via treatment with chemotherapies or vaccines) can lead to prolonged or permanent health. These works all fall under the category of Digital Twins, and we are part of the pioneers of this field. Thus, most work in development and analysis of agent-based model in infection builds off these efforts, principles and tools that we and our collaborators have established. These papers highlight our recent studies related to Lymph nodes and TB (out of 160+ papers)
Because Mtb infection is so difficult to study in mice, and NHP are expensive, we need computational models to augment wetlab studies. We were the first to build both ordinary differential equation system models as well as agent-based models of the immune response to M. tuberculosis in the lungs. Our models are built at different scales and in different compartments. All models are calibrated and validated with NHP data where available. Not only is it important to build models of TB infection in the lungs, but at the scales of molecular, cellular, tissue and whole organ dynamics that are linked together and can allow for a greater analysis of the system components. we have pioneered the field of Multi-scale modeling.
Our group has pioneered two approaches to analyze complex multi-scale and multi-organ models. The first (a.) is methodology for performing uncertainty and sensitivity analyses, and is one of the most highly cited technical papers in mathematical biology, has been adopted by many groups. Second, is a new approach we term Tuneable Resolution that provides a way to toggle between detailed and simpler forms of complex multi-scale, multi-compartment models (b.). We have also provided an efficient approach to numerically implement these complex models (c). And we have discussed how to link and build multi-scale models (d).
My most most significant scientific contribution is a book on how to build multiscale hybrd models to study the human body leading to creating of a digital twin.
AI won’t solve everything But linking it with predictive models becomes a powerful tool that can change the way research is done.
Interesting facts:
- I was the first college graduate in my family
- I was the first to build models of the immune response to a bacterial infection
- I am a christian