This is the course final project for AMATH/BIOL 382: Computational Modelling of Cellular Systems at the University of Waterloo in Winter 2022, where we modelled SARS-CoV-2 in-host viral dynamics with ODE models and proposed potential anti-viral drugs for treatment.
You may find the full paper and the R code in the repository.
The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus presents an unprecedented challenge for the global health care system. As an effort to end this pandemic through the discovery of SARS-CoV-2 antiviral drug targets, the in-host dynamic of SARS-CoV-2 is simulated and analyzed using system biology and differential equation models. Once the validity of the models is confirmed, several potential target sites for the antiviral drugs are investigated and simulated by incorporating their interactions into the models. It is found that a hypothetical antiviral drug can effectively combat SARS-CoV-2 by activating the interferon production in the innate immune response, suggesting a potential path for COVID-19 drug development.
Keywords: mathematical modelling; SARS-CoV-2; system biology; viral dynamics; antiviral drug