Title: The ghost in our genes-epigenetics is our next frontier
 
Speaker: Graeme Wake
Institute of Natural and Mathematical Sciences
Massey University at Albany, Auckland
                                                    
Evolution is driven by the degree of plasticity, by which living organisms mutate to optimise their fitness. A mechanism is proposed in which the phenotype is modelled on a continuous scale providing a parameter to quantify the phenotype state. Due to their very high replication and mutation rates, RNA viruses can serve as an excellent testing model for verifying hypotheses and addressing questions in evolutionary biology. A simple deterministic mathematical model of the within-host viral dynamics is proposed which assumes a continuous distribution of viral strains in a one-dimensional phenotype space. Simulations show that random mutations combined with competition for a resource results in evolution towards higher Darwinian fitness in the phenotype space. This model incorporates features of the real-life host-virus system such as immune response, antiviral therapy, etc.

Properties of the resulting dynamics of these structured populations are given as a means of obtaining underpinning decision support for the evolutionary process involved as a precursor for possible intervention. The steady-state(s) of the steady phenotype distribution involves non-local (integro-differential) equations, similar to those in structured cell-growth models.  This work is supported by “Gravida” which is acknowledged.
 
 
Graeme Wake FRSNZ, 
Professor Emeritus of Industrial Mathematics  and 
Principal, Wakes' Scientific Consulting;  
Institute of Natural and Mathematical Sciences, 
Massey University at Albany, 
P.B 102904, North Shore MC, Auckland, New Zealand.   
Room 2.19 ; IIMS Building, 
East Precinct:  
Tel  +64 (0) 9 414-0800 ext 41053; 
Mobile +64 (0) 27 441-8247 ;  
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E-mail g.c.wake@massey.ac.nz    
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