Degree Name
MS (Master of Science)
Program
Mathematical Sciences
Date of Award
12-2014
Committee Chair or Co-Chairs
Ariel Cintron-Arias
Committee Members
Jeff Knisley, Robert Gardner
Abstract
An existing mathematical model of ordinary differential equations was studied to better understand the interactions between hepatitis C virus (HCV) and the immune system cells in the human body. Three possible qualitative scenarios were explored: dominant CTL response, dominant antibody response, and coexistence. Additionally, a sensitivity analysis was carried out to rank model parameters for each of these scenarios. Therapy was addressed as an optimal control problem. Numerical solutions of optimal controls were computed using a forward-backward sweep scheme for each scenario. Model parameters were estimated using ordinary least squares fitting from longitudinal data (serum HCV RNA measurements) given in reported literature.
Document Type
Thesis - unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Ramirez, Ivan, "Mathematical Modeling of Immune Responses to Hepatitis C Virus Infection" (2014). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 2425. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/2425
Copyright
Copyright by the authors.