Optimal Control of an HIV Model with Gene Therapy and Latency Reversing Agents

In this paper, we study the dynamics of HIV under gene therapy and latency reversing agents. While previous works modeled either the use of gene therapy or latency reversing agents, we consider the effects of a combination treatment strategy. For constant treatment controls, we establish global stability of the disease-free equilibrium and endemic equilibrium based on the value of R0. We then consider time-dependent controls and formulate an associated optimal control problem that emphasizes reduction of the latent reservoir. Characterizations for the optimal control profiles are found using Pontryagin’s Maximum Principle. We perform numerical simulations of the optimal control model using the fourth-order Runge–Kutta forward-backward sweep method. We find that a combination treatment of gene therapy with latency reversing agents provides better remission times than gene therapy alone. We conclude with a discussion of our findings and future work.