Q-Bio: Why No HIV Vaccine?

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is responsible for one of the largest epidemics of modern history: more than 2 million die every year. Why don’t we have a vaccine after 25 years of research? In the second Q-Bio Public Lecture, Ruy M. Ribeiro will explore this question and reviewing the field of HIV vaccine design.

Dr. Ribeiro received his Ph.D. in Mathematical Biology at the Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, under the supervision of Professor Martin Nowak and Professor Lord May. His current work builds on his thesis, “Models of viral diversity and disease development in HIV infection.” In his words, “My main research interests are the pathogenesis of chronic viral infections (HIV and hepatitis B and C), and the use of quantitative modeling tools to gain insight to viral and immune system dynamics. My work entails close collaborations with experimental researchers to develop proper statistical and dynamic models to analyze experimental data, including general linear/non-linear modeling, non-parametric methods and the development of modeling analysis tools.” Click here for more information on Dr. Ribeiro.

The quantitative biology (q-bio) lecture series is dedicated to dissemination of biological knowledge gained through quantitative experimentation and computational, mathematical, and/or statistical analyses of data. The lectures will be presented by internationally-renowned experts and aimed at the general public. Visit its home page for information on coming seminars.