– Modeling infectious diseases and immune development

Our group develops mathematical models and simulations of the dynamics of infectious diseases with the goal of improving interventions. We have focussed on HIV, HBV, COVID-19 and TB, which pose major global healthcare challenges today. With HIV and HBV infections, we are interested in understanding how the immune system can be stimulated to control disease progression without the need for lifelong treatment. With COVID-19, we have developed models to predict the efficacies of vaccines and are interested in understanding the causes of the diverse severity of disease across individuals and the emergence of variants. With TB, we are interested in understanding pathogen evolution and the development of drug resistance. Our models span a wide range of length and time scales, from the molecular to the population level. We integrate descriptions of host-pathogen interactions, immune responses, pathogen evolution, drug pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, and epidemiology. We employ both mechanistic and statistical learning approaches and work closely with experimentalists and clinicians. For ongoing projects, check out the following member profiles: Dipanjan Chakraborty, Abhinav Kumar, Milan Vijay, Suresh Chaudhry, Venu Prasad and Sai Chinmayee.

 – Engineering microbial communities

Multispecies microbial communities (both synthetic and natural) are central to human health and have applications in biotechnology. A major challenge in the field is elucidating principles governing community stability and homeostasis. Working closely with industry, we have developed mathematical models, algorithms and ecological theories to understand the same. We are interested in devising strategies to tune interactions between species and engineering community structures. This will aid the design of interventions targeting specific microbiomes, such as the use of probiotics or faecal transplants to restore eubiosis in the gut microbiome. Additionally, in the context of the human gut microbiome, our group has used ecological theory and mechanistic modeling to understand the loss of homeostasis with aging and dietary supplementation. For ongoing projects, check out the following member profiles: Bharti Yadav, Aadhil Basith, Nivedhitha Ulaganathan and Abhay Sharma.

 – Modeling Aging and Metabolism

Aging is a complex biological process characterized by the progressive loss of bodily function and metabolic resilience with time. Understanding the mechanisms underlaying this process is essential for the design of longevity interventions. Our group is interested in exploring the metabolic control of longevity. We have mathematically modelled the impact of altered iron homeostasis on key genetic regulators of yeast lifespan (SIR2 and HAP4). This ties in with yet another area of work – iron homeostasis. Working closely with industry, we have developed a mechanistic model of iron metabolism and simulated the use of iron supplementation to alleviate iron-deficient anaemia in infants and women. For ongoing projects, check out the following member profiles: Shikhar Sharma and Payyawal Vinith.