Mathematical Biology Seminar Peter Kim University of Utah Wednesday Nov. 11, 2009 3:05pm in LCB 225 State transitions and change detection in the immune response Abstract: What causes the immune system to react? The current understanding is that the immune response reacts to the presence or absence of stimulus, or alternatively, the level of stimulus. However, we propose a hypothesis that the immune system may also respond effectively to change in stimulus. In this presentation, we present a mathematical model of T cell activation that captures the principal mechanism that may allow the T cell response to function as a highly effective change detector. The model is formulated as a system of ordinary differential equations. It incorporates naive, effector, and regulatory T cells. The transition between na Develop