Dynamics of immune escape in HIV infection.

The dynamics between pathogens and the immune system involve complicated interactions of many different components and this makes the use of mathematical models necessary to provide a correct interpretation of empirical results as well as to generate new insights and hypotheses. We demonstrate this approach by discussing mathematical models describing the dynamics between HIV and the immune response. Specifically, we show that viral evolution towards increased antigenic diversity may be the driving force underlying HIV disease progression and the reason for the eventual breakdown of the immune system upon development of AIDS. Such insights have important implications for designing efficient treatment regimes for HIV-infected patients.