Mathematical models of cytotoxic T‐lymphocyte killing

Source abstract

By killing infected host cells, cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) mediate an important defense mechanism against viruses and other intracellular pathogens. Quantitative aspects of this killing process have been studied for several decades in vitro . More recently, methods have been developed to measure the timescales of CTL killing in vivo . Here, we review the estimates of kinetic rates involved in CTL killing which were obtained in these studies, and elaborate on the differences between them.