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SUMMARY:Intersections of the adaptive immune response and statistical phys
 ics - Mehran Kardar (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
DTSTART:20231204T110000Z
DTEND:20231204T120000Z
UID:TALK208405@talks.cam.ac.uk
DESCRIPTION:The adaptive immune system protects the body from the ever-cha
 nging landscape of foreign microorganisms. The two arms of the adaptive im
 mune system\, T cells and B cells\, mount specific responses to pathogens 
 by utilizing the diversity of their receptors\, generated through hypermut
 ation.&nbsp\; B cells generate antibodies that strongly bind and inactivat
 e antigens (toxic targets). Potent antibodies are generated through the pr
 ocess of &ldquo\;Affinity Maturation" which is akin to evolution at a rapi
 d pace. T cells recognize and clear infected hosts when their highly varia
 ble receptors bind sufficiently strongly to complexes formed with antigen-
 derived peptides displayed on the cell surface. To avoid auto-immune respo
 nses\, a process of "Thymic Selection" ensures that only self-tolerant rec
 eptors (binding weakly to self peptides) are engaged. Methods from Statist
 ical Physics can be used to model and elucidate these processes\, as will 
 be demonstrated through selected examples.
LOCATION:Seminar Room 2\, Newton Institute
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