title: Modeling the T cell immune response: a fascinating challenge.
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.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh, 200 Lothrop Street, BST E1055, Pittsburgh, PA, 15261, USA, morel@pitt.edu.
authors.forename: Penelope A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Morel
authors.forename: James R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Faeder
authors.forename: William F
authors.initials: WF
authors.lastname: Hawse
authors.forename: Natasa
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Miskov-Zivanov
mesh_terms: D003198:Computer Simulation; D006801:Humans; D018448:Models, Immunological; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*