Entropy, disease, and new opportunities for chemical engineering research

Randomness, diversity, fluctuations, and correlations play a significant role in disease, disease treatment, and the immune response to disease. I suggest that statistical mechanics, the physical theory of randomness that uses a system’s physical behavior at the molecular or atomic scale to synthesize a picture of the behavior at a larger level, can address some of these issues. Theory and mathematical modeling can help design or redesign treatment strategies. Theory can also help determine what makes redesign necessary. I describe three lines of research in my group seeking this new mathematics of biology.