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A probabilistic view of immunology: Drawing parallels with physics
Author(s) -
Hodgkin Philip D
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
immunology and cell biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.999
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1440-1711
pISSN - 0818-9641
DOI - 10.1038/sj.icb.7100061
Subject(s) - probabilistic logic , parallels , perspective (graphical) , context (archaeology) , immune system , class (philosophy) , computer science , immunology , data science , artificial intelligence , biology , engineering , mechanical engineering , paleontology
Regulating the strength and class of an immune response requires lymphocytes to act as complex signal integrating ‘machines’, taking information from multiple sources while making decisions that affect the final outcome. Describing and understanding the decision‐making behaviour of lymphocytes within the context of the dynamic multifaceted immune system appears immensely complicated. In this article I contrast two alternative frameworks, the deterministic and the probabilistic as competing paths to achieve successful quantitative immune models. As the two alternatives are traditional scientific rivals, I use the probabilistic fields in physics to highlight the potential value of the probabilistic perspective in immunology.