Antibodies: friend or foe? A mathematical investigation

Antibodies that bind viral surface proteins can limit the spread of an infection through neutralizing and non-neutralizing functions. During both acute and chronic virus infections, antibody–virion immune complexes are formed, but do not always ensure protection. Moreover, cross-reactive antibody responses may contribute to increased disease severity in a phenomenon known as the antibody-dependent enhancement. In this talk, we will show how mathematical modeling can inform us about the benefits and/or inefficacy of antibody responses in controlling infections. We will investigate the antibody effect inside a host and at the population level and validate our predictions using data from hepatitis B, HIV and dengue virus infections.