Immunology, ecology and epidemiology (main themes)

Workshop theme

The purpose of the workshop is to bring together experimentalists and theoreticians working in Immunology, Ecology and Epidemiology with the aim of fostering interaction and research.

In this time of unprecedented environmental change it is crucial for scientists to formulate a mechanistic description of the change based on underlying ecological processes. For example, the spatial spread of introduced exotic organisms, many of which are pest species, can have a devastating effect on the indigenous flora and fauna; species ranges shift in response to abiotic factors (such as climate), biotic factors (such as new competitors/parasites) or evolutionary adaptions; new diseases spread spatially; and competitive plant communities can change drastically in composition when disturbed by fire and clear cutting.

Approaches using classical deterministic mathematical models have had some limited success in describing these spatial ecological processes. However, there is a growing realization, amongst ecologists and theoreticians alike, that stochastic factors, both demographic and environmental, play a fundamental role in determining ecological outcomes.

Because of new technology the quantification of cellular populations is now routine in immunology laboratories. This has led to a steadily increasing stream of kinetic data on the population dynamics of various types of immune cells. With this accumulation of data comes a realisation that a proper understanding of the underlying dynamical systems will only be achieved when the data are considered within the organising framework of a formal theoretical model. Mathematical immunologists have energetically responded to this newly felt need, forming a growing number of close collaborations between theoretical and laboratory immunlogists. Some of these collaborations have been rich sources of new insights; not only into biological processes, but also in showing the usefulness of mathematical modelling to large tranches of a biological community.

As outlined above fundamental to such interactions is the question of how one manages the wealth of molecular detail, and where appropriate, how this detail might be incorporated into a macroscopic or population level description.

In seeking answers to these questions a major objective is to attempt to identify mathematical and computational methods common to these areas, whether the individuals are molecules, cells or organisms.

The workshop will provide a forum in which to identify problems, to understand what has been accomplished in various areas and to seek new directions of research.

Scientific enquiries may be addressed to Professor Brian Sleeman.

The application is closed

Timetable

Monday 10th December 2001
08:30 to 09:50	Registration	No Room Required
09:50 to 10:00	Opening remarks	No Room Required
10:00 to 11:00	Lee Segel University of California, Irvine and Weizmann Institute of Science Appropriate macroscopic behaviour of the immune system, from distributed microscopic feedback	Room 1
11:00 to 11:30	Coffee	No Room Required
11:30 to 12:30	D Wodarz Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton Treatment strategies against immuno-suppressive diseases	Room 1
12:30 to 13:30	Lunch at the Centre for Mathematical Sciences	No Room Required
14:30 to 15:30	The times' tables of viral resistance	Room 1
15:30 to 16:00	Tea	No Room Required
16:00 to 17:00	Rustom Antia Emory University Modeling CD8 Memory	Room 1
17:00 to 18:00	Wine Reception at the Newton Institute	No Room Required
19:00 to 00:00	Dinner at Wolfson Court (Residents only)	No Room Required

Tuesday 11th December 2001
09:00 to 10:00	Alan Hastings University of California, Davis The dependence of the design of marine reserve networks on dispersal behaviour	Room 1
10:00 to 11:00	Charles Godfray Age-structured models of insect natural-enemy interactions	Room 1
11:00 to 11:30	Coffee	No Room Required
11:30 to 12:30	Julian Lewis Territorial pattern formation through scent marking	Room 1
12:30 to 13:30	Lunch at the Centre for Mathematical Science	No Room Required
14:30 to 15:30	Yoh Iwasa Kyushu University Masting of forest trees - intermittent and synchronised	Room 1
15:30 to 16:00	Tea	No Room Required
19:00 to 00:00	Dinner at Wolfson Court (Residents only)	No Room Required

Wednesday 12th December 2001
10:00 to 11:00	Extensive MHC polymorphism requires frequency-dependent selection by coevolving pathogens	Room 1
11:00 to 11:30	Coffee	No Room Required
11:30 to 12:30	C Bangham Genetic, dynamic and functional definition of the efficency of the anti-viral T cell response	Room 1
12:30 to 13:30	Lunch at the Centre for Mathematical Science	No Room Required
14:30 to 15:30	Akira Sasaki Kyushu University Word frequency distribution under the restriction avoidance	Room 1
15:30 to 16:00	Tea	No Room Required
16:00 to 17:00	Nigel John Burroughs University of Warwick Inequalitites during life and death of T cells	Room 1
19:00 to 00:00	Dinner at Wolfson Court (Residents only)	No Room Required

Thursday 13th December 2001
09:00 to 10:00	Andrew Peter Dobson Epidemics at different spatial scales, from social behaviour to community dynamics	Room 1
10:00 to 11:00	The roles of chance and spatial structure within host evolution of HIV	Room 1
11:00 to 11:30	Coffee	No Room Required
11:30 to 12:30	Waves and sparks in the spatio-temporal dynamics of microparasitic infections	Room 1
12:30 to 13:30	Lunch at the Centre for Mathematical Science	No Room Required
15:00 to 15:30	Presentation on funding opportunities	Room 1
15:30 to 16:00	Tea	No Room Required
16:00 to 17:00	David Rand University of Warwick Optimising the effectiveness of T cell activation	Room 1
20:00 to 00:00	Conference Dinner at Christ's College (No Dinner at Wolfson Court)	No Room Required

Friday 14th December 2001
09:00 to 10:00	Shigui Ruan Dalhousie University Multiple parameter bifurcations in ecological and epidemiological models	Room 1
10:00 to 11:00	Modified mean-field models and self-organisation in spatial systems for antagonistic interactions	Room 1
11:00 to 11:30	Coffee	No Room Required
11:30 to 12:30	Discussion and Closing remarks	Room 1
12:30 to 13:30	Lunch at the Centre for Mathematical Sciences	No Room Required
19:00 to 00:00	Dinner at Wolfson Court (Residents Only)	No Room Required

Speakers

Rustom Antia Emory University
C Bangham
Nigel John Burroughs University of Warwick
Andrew Peter Dobson
Charles Godfray
Alan Hastings University of California, Davis
Yoh Iwasa Kyushu University
Julian Lewis
David Rand University of Warwick
Shigui Ruan Dalhousie University
Akira Sasaki Kyushu University
Lee Segel University of California, Irvine and Weizmann Institute of Science
D Wodarz Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton

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Immunology, ecology and epidemiology (main themes)

Workshop theme

The application is closed

Timetable

Speakers

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