Parameter identification for model of T cell proliferation in lymphopenia conditions

The number of T Lymphocytes (T cells) in the body is under homeostatic control. At equilibrium, the majority of naive T cells are non-dividing and express low levels of the surface protein CD44. In conditions of T cell deficiency (lymphopenia), naive T cells enter into a proliferative phase, undergoing cell division accompanied by a subtle change in their surface expression of CD44. In this study, we use a mathematical modelling approach to analyse the proliferative response of transgenic T cells in lymphopenic conditions. Our nonlinear model is composed of ordinary differential equations and partial differential equations structured by age (maturity of cell) and CD44 expression. To better understand the evolution of CD44 expression on the surface of T cells during cell division, we present a numerical analysis to solve a parameter identification problem. Finally, we show the parameters and the simulations that we obtain from the model and compare them to experimental data.