Immunotherapeutic approaches based upon adoptive transfer of dendritic cells (DCs) expressing relevant antigens are currently widely used for active mobilization of cellular immune responses against tumors and infections. The efficacy of this active immunization depends on a complex biology of the DC life cycle and their interaction with T cells. The dynamics of this interaction and its sensitivity to some relevant parameters are still incompletely understood. These parameters include antigen loading, frequency DC injection, number and activation status of T cells, the homing rate to lymphoid tissues. We present a computer based methodology for developing meaningful data-driven mathematical models for DC-based immunotherapy with a particular focus on numerical parameter estimation-, sensitivity analysis- and performance optimisation. We aim to provide models that will be effective in analysing the 'numbers game' and making accurate predictions in advance of experiments and clinical applications.
This is joint work with N J Ford and B Ludewig.