An artificial immune-memory model based on idiotypic immune networks: Perspectives on antibody dynamics

• Published in: Applied mathematical modelling 2016-12, Vol.40 (23-24), p.10210-10221
• Main Author: Ou, Chung-Ming
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Antibody chain; Associative memory; Cross-correlation matrix; Discrete dynamical system; Immunoinformatics
• ISSN: 0307-904X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.apm.2016.07.011

•Immune memory mechanism formed by antibody chain.•Antibody dynamics defined by cross-correlation matrix.•Overlapping difference function defined by antibody dynamics.•Associativity of immune memory based on overlapping difference function.•Four types of immune memory recalls: classification for associative memory. Immune memories of antigens are formed as limit behavior of antibody dynamics, which is a simplified model of cyclic idiotypic immune networks. Rapid responses of immune systems to secondary antigens are due to the memory recalls of the stored antigenic attributes. The immune-memory mechanism is studied by combining network structure and dynamical systems. Moreover, associative memory can be explored by network dynamics of a cross-correlation matrix determined by an antibody chain. Analysis of cross-reactive immune responses can be accomplished by introducing the overlapping difference function ρ of network dynamics. Classification of four types of memory recalls was performed here. It explains the phenomena of associative memory and provides methods for control of vaccinations via tuning of suitable parameters. Other issues with immune memory and cyclic idiotypic immune networks are also discussed.