Events
NDMC Talk Series: Invited Talk by Prof. Rustom Antia, Emory University
September 06, 2026
NDMC invited Prof. Rustom Antia from the Department of Biology at Emory University to deliver a talk on how mathematical modelling can help understand the dynamics of humoral immunity, particularly the decline of antibody levels following infection or vaccination.
Prof. Antia discussed the challenges of estimating how quickly antibody responses wane, highlighting limitations of cross-sectional and longitudinal studies. He presented a power-law model of antibody waning, which, unlike conventional exponential models, accounts for a gradual reduction in the rate of decline over time. He also emphasised the importance of accounting for time since immunisation when estimating the persistence of antibody-mediated immunity.
The talk highlighted how combining immunological data with quantitative modelling can improve estimates of the duration of protection and help assess vaccination strategies and booster requirements.