A mathematical model of aging in the immune system
ORAL
Abstract
The adaptive and innate branches of the vertebrate immune system work in close collaboration to protect organisms from harmful pathogens. As the organism ages the immune system undergoes immunosenescence, characterized by declined performance or malfunction in either branch, which can lead to various diseases and death. In this study we develop a mathematical model of the immune system that couples the innate and adaptive components of the immune system, allowing investigation of the mutual modulation of the innate and adaptive immune branches over time. Our results capture the clinically-observed chronic inflammatory response affiliated with aging (“inflamm-aging”), and find that the timing of this persistent inflammatory response is dependent on the history of pathogen encounters. By consolidating complex immune feedbacks into a mathematical model, our results inform the mechanisms responsible for immunosenescence and offer opportunities for their further exploration through quantitative modeling.
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Presenters
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Eric Jones
Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, University of California, Santa Barbara
Authors
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Eric Jones
Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, University of California, Santa Barbara
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Jiming Sheng
Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Los Angeles, University of California, Los Angeles
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Shenshen Wang
UCLA, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Los Angeles, Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Los Angeles, University of California, Los Angeles
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Jean M Carlson
Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, University of California, Santa Barbara