Ezeji Nwanaji-Enwerem
MIT Department: Chemical Engineering
Faculty Mentor: Mehran Kardar
Research Supervisor: Arup Chakraborty
Undergraduate Institution: North Carolina Central University
Hometown: Concord, North Carolina
Website: LinkedIn
Biography
Ezeji Nwanaji-Enwerem, a rising senior majoring in Biology at North Carolina Central University, Ezeji has a passion for medicine and an interest for conducting translational research. His academic journey is marked by an array of research experiences, including research on sleep deprivation among a diverse population, COVID-19 transmission dynamics, and cancer research. Currently, he is delving into immunology research under the mentorship of Dr. Arup Chakraborty.
Ezeji’s diligence and hard work are matched by his commitment to community service. On campus, he is an McNair Scholar and an HBCU White House Scholar, and he has been honored with the prestigious Cheatham-White Scholarship, the highest accolade at his university. His multifaceted achievements underscore his drive to make meaningful contributions to both science and society.
Abstract
Modeling Infection Dynamics and Immune Response
Ezeji Nwanaji-Enwerem1, Andriy Goychuk2, Arup Chakraborty3
1 Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, North Carolina Central University 2Department of
Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
To understand how viral infection can be efficiently cleared with minimal costs to the host, we
here develop a dynamic model of viral replication, the mounted immune response, and immune-
induced collateral damage to host tissue. Based on these biological processes, we derive a set
of ordinary differential equations which predict the coupled dynamics of infection and immunity.
By simulating various immune response scenarios, we hope to identify the optimal conditions
under which viral clearance occurs most effectively and understand when it fails. Our aim is to
delineate thresholds separating the regimes where (a) infection can be controlled with minimal
immunopathology or (b) immune function switches from protective to detrimental to the host. To
that end, we use our simulations to quantify the trade-offs between immune activation and host
damage. Finally, using empirical data to constrain the model parameters and derive theoretical
insights into the dynamics of the immune system, we hope to inform therapeutic interventions
which improve patient outcomes by balancing immune efficiency and tissue damage during viral
