title: The chaser and the chased: a phase-field model of an immune response.
abstract: In this paper we present a model for an immune response to an invading pathogen. Particularly, we follow the motion of a neutrophil as it migrates to the site of infection guided by chemical cues, a mechanism termed chemotaxis, with the ability to reorient itself as the pathogen changes its position. In the process, the cell undergoes morphological alterations, in addition to the structural changes observed at its leading edge. Also, we derive a condition for a successful immune reaction by relating the speed of the neutrophil to that of the pathogen and to the diffusion coefficient of the chemical attractant.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA. snajem@princeton.edu.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Najem
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Grant
mesh_terms: D002465:Cell Movement; D018448:Models, Immunological; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000276:immunology*