Dr Steffen Docken

Lecturer

BA (Phys and Math), MSc (Applied Math), MSc (Pharmacology and Toxicology), PhD (Applied Math)

Medicine & Health

The Kirby Institute

Steffen is an Applied Mathematician broadly interested in understanding the mechanisms underlying diseases. His current research is on the growth and persistence of pathogens within a host and immune responses towards these pathogens. The primary pathogens he focuses on are HIV and Simian Immunodeficiency Virus (SIV), but Steffen has also worked on Malaria and COVID-19. In his research, Steffen works closely with experimental collaborators from the fields of virology and immunology.

Previously, Steffen's dissertation research focused on modelling the effects of anti-arrhythmic drugs on electrical signalling in the heart, which he completed at the University of California, Davis, receiving his Ph.D. in applied mathematics in 2018.

E-mail

sdocken@kirby.unsw.edu.au

Location

Kirby Institute L6 Wallace Wurth Building ��¼� Sydney

Journal articles | 2025

Claiborne DT; Detwiler Z; Docken SS; Borland TD; Cromer D; Simkhovich A; Ophinni Y; Okawa K; Bateson T; Chen T; Hudson W; Trifonova R; Davenport MP; Ho TW; Boutwell CL; Allen TM, 2025, 'High frequency CCR5 editing in human hematopoietic stem progenitor cells protects xenograft mice from HIV infection', Nature Communications, 16, pp. 446,

Journal articles | 2025

Pampena MB; Samer S; Viox EG; Nguyen K; Deleage C; Kuri-Cervantes L; Regan J; Wu VH; Docken S; Safrit JT; Bar KJ; Keele BF; Davenport MP; Paiardini M; Betts MR, 2025, 'Therapeutic CD8+ T cell tissue retention and immunomodulation during ART interruption fail to prevent SIV rebound', Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 122,

Journal articles | 2023

Bauer A; Lindemuth E; Marino FE; Krause R; Joy J; Docken SS; Mallick S; McCormick K; Holt C; Georgiev I; Felber B; Keele BF; Veazey R; Davenport MP; Li H; Shaw GM; Bar KJ, 2023, 'Adaptation of a transmitted/founder simian-human immunodeficiency virus for enhanced replication in rhesus macaques', Plos Pathogens, 19, pp. e1011059,

Journal articles | 2023

Docken SS; Clancy CE; Lewis TJ, 2023, 'Rate-dependent effects of state-specific sodium channel blockers in cardiac tissue: Insights from idealized models', Journal of Theoretical Biology, 573,

Journal articles | 2023

Docken SS; McCormick K; Pampena MB; Samer S; Lindemuth E; Pinkevych M; Viox EG; Wu Y; Schlub TE; Cromer D; Keele BF; Paiardini M; Betts MR; Bar KJ; Davenport MP, 2023, 'Preferential selection of viral escape mutants by CD8+ T cell 'sieving' of SIV reactivation from latency', Plos Pathogens, 19, pp. e1011755,

Journal articles | 2023

Khoury DS; Docken SS; Subbarao K; Kent SJ; Davenport MP; Cromer D, 2023, 'Predicting the efficacy of variant-modified COVID-19 vaccine boosters', Nature Medicine, 29, pp. 574 - 578,

Journal articles | 2023

Pinkevych M; Docken SS; Okoye AA; Fennessey CM; Del Prete GQ; Pino M; Harper JL; Betts MR; Paiardini M; Keele BF; Davenport MP, 2023, 'Timing of initiation of anti-retroviral therapy predicts post-treatment control of SIV replication', Plos Pathogens, 19, pp. e1011660,

Journal articles | 2023

Statzu M; Jin W; Fray EJ; Wong AKH; Kumar MR; Ferrer E; Docken SS; Pinkevych M; McBrien JB; Fennessey CM; Keele BF; Liang S; Harper JL; Mutascio S; Franchitti L; Wang H; Cicetti D; Bosinger SE; Carnathan DG; Vanderford TH; Margolis DM; Garcia-Martinez JV; Chahroudi A; Paiardini M; Siliciano J; Davenport MP; Kulpa DA; Siliciano RS; Silvestri G, 2023, 'CD8+ lymphocytes do not impact SIV reservoir establishment under ART', Nature Microbiology, 8, pp. 299 - 308,

Journal articles | 2022

2022, 'OP 2.5 – 00048 Targeting the SIV reservoir with Alemtuzumab', Journal of Virus Eradication, 8, pp. 100153 - 100153,

Journal articles | 2022

2022, 'OP 8.6 – 00166 Autologous neutralizing antibody responses in bnAb-treated rhesus macaques', Journal of Virus Eradication, 8, pp. 100280 - 100280,

Journal articles | 2022

2022, 'PP 2.3 – 00034 CD8+ T-Cell Sieving During SIV Reactivation from Latency', Journal of Virus Eradication, 8, pp. 100159 - 100159,

Journal articles | 2021

Docken SS; Clancy CE; Lewis TJ, 2021, 'Rate-dependent effects of lidocaine on cardiac dynamics: Development and analysis of a low-dimensional drug-channel interaction model', Plos Computational Biology, 17,

Journal articles | 2021

Eustaquio PC; Docken SS; Leyritana KT; Wulandari LPL, 2021, 'HIV care cascade among cisgender men who have sex with men in a key population-led community center in the Philippines', International Journal of STD and AIDS, 32, pp. 718 - 728,

Journal articles | 2020

Corder RM; de Lima ACP; Khoury DS; Docken SS; Davenport MP; Ferreira MU, 2020, 'Quantifying and preventing plasmodium vivax recurrences in primaquine-untreated pregnant women: An observational and modeling study in Brazil', Plos Neglected Tropical Diseases, 14, pp. 1 - 16,

Journal articles | 2020

DeMarino C; Cowen M; Pleet ML; Pinto DO; Khatkar P; Erickson J; Docken SS; Russell N; Reichmuth B; Phan T; Kuang Y; Anderson DM; Emelianenko M; Kashanchi F, 2020, 'Differences in Transcriptional Dynamics Between T-cells and Macrophages as Determined by a Three-State Mathematical Model', Scientific Reports, 10,

Journal articles | 2019

Ciocanel MV; Docken SS; Gasper RE; Dean C; Carlson BE; Olufsen MS, 2019, 'Cardiovascular regulation in response to multiple hemorrhages: analysis and parameter estimation', Biological Cybernetics, 113, pp. 105 - 120,

Journal articles | 2016

Yang PC; Boras BW; Jeng MT; Docken SS; Lewis TJ; McCulloch AD; Harvey RD; Clancy CE, 2016, 'A Computational Modeling and Simulation Approach to Investigate Mechanisms of Subcellular cAMP Compartmentation', Plos Computational Biology, 12,

Journal articles | 2015

Walcott S; Docken S; Harris SP, 2015, 'Effects of cardiac myosin binding protein-C on actin motility are explained with a drag-activation-competition model', Biophysical Journal, 108, pp. 10 - 13,
Preprints | 2025

Docken SS; Macairan A; Schlub TE; Fennessey CM; Varco-Merth B; Picker LJ; Okoye AA; Immonen TT; Cromer D; Keele BF; Davenport MP, 2025, Dissecting the steps in early Simian Immunodeficiency Virus dissemination following mucosal and intravenous infection of rhesus macaques,

Preprints | 2025

Pampena MB; Samer S; Viox EG; Nguyen K; Deleage C; Kuri-Cervantes L; Regan J; Wu VH; Docken S; Safrit JT; Bar KJ; Keele BF; Davenport MP; Paiardini M; Betts MR, 2025, Therapeutic CD8+T cell tissue retention and immunomodulation during ART interruption fails to prevent SIV rebound,

Conference Posters | 2022

Bar K; Viox E; Krause R; Lindemuth E; Jin W; Docken S; Mallick S; Paiardini M, 2022, 'OP 8.6 – 00166 Autologous neutralizing antibody responses in bnAb-treated rhesus macaques', Vol. 8, pp. 100280 - 100280,

Preprints | 2022

Bauer A; Lindemuth E; Joy J; Marino FE; Docken S; Krause R; Mallick S; McCormick K; Holt C; Georgiev I; Felber B; Keele B; Veazey R; Davenport M; Li H; Shaw G; Bar K, 2022, Adaptation of a transmitted/founder simian-human immunodeficiency virus for enhanced replication in rhesus macaques,

Conference Posters | 2022

Docken S; McCormick K; Pampena M; Pinkevych M; Viox E; Keele B; Paiardini M; Betts M; Bar K; Davenport M; Samer S; Cromer D; Schlub T, 2022, 'PP 2.3 – 00034 CD8+ T-Cell Sieving During SIV Reactivation from Latency', Vol. 8, pp. 100159 - 100159,

Preprints | 2022

Khoury D; Docken S; Subbarao K; Kent S; Davenport M; Cromer D, 2022, Predicting the efficacy of variant-modified COVID-19 vaccine boosters,

Conference Papers | 2022

Statzu M; Wong A; McBrien J; Choe Y; Enemuo C; Ngo J; Jimenez L; Wang J; Pinkevych M; Docken S; Davenport M; Keele B; Vanderford T; Paiardini M; Silvestri G; Kulpa D, 2022, 'CD8(+) T cell depletion does not affect viral reservoir size, but influences the rebound after ART interruption in SIV-infected rhesus macaques', in JOURNAL OF MEDICAL PRIMATOLOGY, WILEY, pp. 323 - 324,

Conference Posters | 2022

Varco-Merth B; Chaunzwa M; Duell D; Marenco A; Docken S; Smedley J; Axthelm MK; Hansen SG; Davenport MP; Estes JD; Keele B; Lifson JD; Lewin SR; Okoye AA; Picker LJ, 2022, 'OP 2.5 – 00048 Targeting the SIV reservoir with Alemtuzumab', Vol. 8, pp. 100153 - 100153,

Conference Abstracts | 2022

Viox E; Samer S; Nguyen K; Docken S; Lindemuth E; Mampe F; Pinkevych M; Keele B; Betts M; Davenport M; Paiardini M; Bar K, 2022, 'Impact of CD4 binding-site bNAb therapy on viral rebound in barcoded TF-SHIV-D-infected rhesus macaques at ATI', in JOURNAL OF MEDICAL PRIMATOLOGY, WILEY, Vol. 51, pp. 301 - 302,

Preprints | 2021

Docken SS; Clancy CE; Lewis TJ, 2021, Rate-dependent effects of lidocaine on cardiac dynamics: Development and analysis of a low-dimensional drug-channel interaction model,

Conference Abstracts | 2019

Furutani K; Docken S; Vorobyov IV; Clancy CE; Lewis TJ; Sack JT, 2019, 'A Kinetic Mechanism Underlying hERG Facilitation by a Blocker', in Biophysical Journal, Elsevier BV, Vol. 116, pp. 245a - 245a,

Conference Abstracts | 2018

Docken SS; Lewis TJ; Clancy CE, 2018, 'Mechanisms Underlying Rate-Dependent Effects of State-Specific Binding of Sodium Channel Blockers in Cardiac Tissue: Insights from Idealized Models', in Biophysical Journal, Elsevier BV, Vol. 114, pp. 489a - 489a,

Conference Abstracts | 2016

Yang P-C; Boras B; Jeng M-T; Docken S; Lewis T; McCulloch A; Harvey R; Clancy C, 2016, 'A Computational Investigation Predicts Mechanisms of Subcellular cAMP Compartmentation', in Biophysical Journal, Elsevier BV, Vol. 110, pp. 590a - 590a,

Conference Abstracts | 2015

Walcott S; Docken S; Harris SP, 2015, 'Effects of Cardiac Myosin Binding Protein-C on Actin Motility are Explained with a Drag-Activation-Competition Model', in Biophysical Journal, Elsevier BV, Vol. 108, pp. 339a - 339a,

��¼� Medicine & Health Early Career Academic Network Best Paper (Basic Science Category; 2024)

��¼� Values in Action Award Winner in the Heroes (Team Category; 2022)

I am broadly interested in utilising mathematical modelling to further our understanding of diseases and aid in the development of new therapies. Currently, I am focusing on the interaction between the immune system and evolution of HIV or Simian Immunodeficiency Virus (SIV) within a host, especially in the context of viral rebound following treatment interruption. I am also examining the kinetics of viral production by individual infected cells.

In my research, I use a variety of mathematical techniques, such as differential equations and dynamical systems, probabilistic modelling, singular perturbation analysis, and model selection.

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