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Modeling the T cell immune response: a fascinating challenge

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Abstract

The immune system is designed to protect the organism from infection and to repair damaged tissue. An effective response requires recognition of the threat, the appropriate effector mechanism to clear the pathogen and a return to homeostasis with minimal damage to self-tissues. T cells play a central role in orchestrating the immune response at all stages of the response and have been the subject of intense study by both experimental immunologists and modelers. This review examines some of the more critical questions in T cell biology and describes the latest attempts to address those questions using approaches that combine mathematical modeling and experiments.

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Acknowledgments

JRF and NMZ acknowledge funding from NIH grant P41 GM103712 and NSF Expeditions in Computing Grant (award 0926181). WFH was supported by NIH Grant T32 AI089443.

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  1. Natasa Miskov-Zivanov

    Present address: Computer Science Department, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh, 200 Lothrop Street, BST E1055, Pittsburgh, PA, 15261, USA

    Penelope A. Morel & William F. Hawse

  2. Departments of Computational and Systems Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    James R. Faeder & Natasa Miskov-Zivanov

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  1. Penelope A. Morel
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  2. James R. Faeder
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Correspondence to Penelope A. Morel.

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Morel, P.A., Faeder, J.R., Hawse, W.F. et al. Modeling the T cell immune response: a fascinating challenge. J Pharmacokinet Pharmacodyn 41, 401–413 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10928-014-9376-y

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