Mathematical modelling to help unlock secrets of immune system
5 November 2007 A multidisciplinary research project, the Immunology
Imaging and Modelling (I2M) Network, is using mathematics to
build a common model of immune responses. Their work will radically improve
our understanding of the human immune system by allowing all the scientific
disciplines working on it 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 project is highlighted in the quarterly research highlights magazine of
the UK's Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).
Dr Carmen Molína-Paris, network co-ordinator and researcher at the
University of Leeds, explains: "A multi and cross-disciplinary, cohesive and
active approach is urgently required. 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. 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 modelling helps
everyone to interpret data and resolve controversies. Most importantly, it
suggests novel experiments allowing for better and more quantitative
interpretations." Scientists do not fully understand how the immune system
works. Immunology has traditionally been a qualitative science, describing
the cellular and molecular components of the immune system and their
functions. However, to advance our understanding of how the body fights
disease there is a pressing need to better understand how the components
work together as a whole and provide this information in a quantitative
format which can be accessed by the entire scientific community. The
objectives of the project include:
- develop the links and a common language between immunologists,
mathematicians, computer scientists, physicists and engineers to address
this new challenge in systems biology;
- develop a theoretical framework to model the behaviour of cellular
immune responses, learning from advances in stochastic;
- develop a computational framework to simulate and analyse the
dynamical behaviour of cellular immune responses in different
immunological conditions; and
- transfer ideas, experimental techniques, models and insight from the
biological, mathematical, physical, engineering and computational
communities to industry and conversely introduce ideas in these
scientific communities from industrial systems engineering experience.
Steve Visscher, interim Chief Executive of BBSRC commented: "The new
insight that this model will provide will naturally benefit the patient
with the advances in healthcare it will lead to. BBSRC is committed to
developing an active and cohesive cross-disciplinary community at the
mathematics biology interface to enable a more quantitative and
predictive biology."
More information on the Immunology Imaging and Modelling (I2M)
Network:
www.maths.leeds.ac.uk/Applied/I2M/ To top
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