A group of British
mathematicians has taken on the challenge of building a common model of
immune responses.
The project,
funded by the British Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council,
is aimed at expanding scientists' knowledge of the human immune system
by allowing all the scientific disciplines to have a common reference point
and language.
The mathematicians
will investigate how the different cellular components of the immune system
work together and devise a theoretical and computational model that can
be used by immunologists, mathematicians, computer scientists, physicists
and engineers.
"The ability
to track parasites and cells in real time using novel imaging techniques
is allowing exciting new insights and will help us measure the interactions
between the different parts of the immune system," said Carmen Molina-Paris
of the University of Leeds. "This will provide a theoretical and computational
model of the immune system, giving a complete picture that researchers
from across all disciplines can refer to and draw upon.
"Mathematical
immunology is maturing into a discipline where modeling helps everyone
to interpret data and resolve controversies," she added. "Most importantly,
it suggests novel experiments allowing for better and more quantitative
interpretations."
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