Physical Concepts in Immunology

A unique introduction to immunology that shows how concepts from statistical physics can help to illuminate the complexities of the immune system

Modern immunology is a relatively young science, with many questions still unanswered. Increasingly, theoretical and computational approaches rooted in statistical mechanics are proving to be a useful complement to biological experimentation and clinical data for understanding the immune system. In this book, Arup Chakraborty offers readers with a background in the physical sciences an introduction to immunology, first explaining the basic biology of the immune system and then developing and applying concepts from statistical physics to the study of principles that underlie the body’s immune response. Drawing on these concepts to illuminate the complex, nonlinear many-body dynamics of the numerous cells and molecules that make up the immune system, the book goes on to develop readers’ understanding of some of the essential systems that determine an immune response, concluding with frontier questions that are not yet fully understood.

The first book to focus entirely on the use of physical concepts to describe immunology, this book will be an essential resource for newcomers to the field and an ideal reference text on quantitative immunology for researchers in physics, chemistry, and engineering as well as computational biologists studying the immune system using AI and other tools.

• Offers a concise and accessible entrée to immunology for readers with a physical sciences background
• Ideal for a part of a biophysics graduate courses or one on the physics of the immune system
• Highlights the usefulness of concepts from statistical physics for the study of the immune system
• Develops a deep understanding of some essential systems that determine an immune response
• Provides an excellent resource for newcomers to the field or as a reference text for active researchers