Artículo

On Modelling an Immune System

Sobre un Modelo Computacional del Sistema Inmune

Raúl Monroy¹, Rosa Saab² and Fernando Godínez³

¹ Departamento de Ciencias Computacionales, Campus Estado de México del Tecnológico de Monterrey Carretera al lago de Guadalupe Km 3.5, Col. Margarita Maza de Juárez, Atizapán de Zaragoza, 52926, México, México. E–mail: raulm@items.mx

² Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Coacalco, 16 de Septiembre 54, Col. Cabecera Municipal, Coacalco de Berriozábal, Estado de México, 55717, México. E–mail: rosa.saab@itesm.mx

³ Centro de Sistemas Inteligentes, Campus Monterrey del Tecnológico de Monterrey, CETEC Torre Sur 5o Piso, Eugenio Garza Sada 2501, Monterrey, Nuevo León, 64849, México. E–mail: fgodinez@itesm.mx

Article received on March 27, 2003
Accepted on June 08, 2004

Abstract

Immune systems of live forms have been an abundant source of inspiration to contemporary computer scientists. Problem solving strategies, stemming from known immune system phenomena, have been successfully applied to challenging problems of modern computing. However, research in artificial immune systems has overlooked establishing a coherent model of known immune system behaviour. This paper aims reports on an preliminary computer model of an immune system, where each immune system component is specified in terms of its observable behaviour using a suitable process algebra. Our model is not only suitable to simulation but also and more importantly to formal analyzes of immune system behaviour.

Keywords: Multiagent systems and Distributed AI, Immunology, Immune Based Computer Systems.

Resumen

El sistema inmune de los seres vivientes ha sido una fuente rica de inspiración para científicos en computación contemporáneos. Estrategias de solución de problemas, cuyos orígenes se encuentran en fenómenos inmunológicos, han sido exitosamente aplicadas en problemas desafiantes de la computación moderna. Sin embargo, el trabajo de investigación en sistemas inmunológicos artificiales ha ignorado el establecer un modelo coherente que incorpore comportamientos conocidos y aceptados del sistema inmune. Este artículo reporta un modelo computacional preliminar del sistema inmune, en el cual cada componente del mismo es especificado en términos de su comportamiento observable, usando una álgebra de procesos adecuada. Nuestro modelo no sólo es adecuado para la simulación sino también y aún más importante para el análisis formal del comportamiento de un sistema inmune.

Palabras Clave: Sistemas Multiagentes y AI Distribuida, Inmunología, Sistemas de Cómputo basado en Inmunidad.

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Acknowledgements

This research was partially supported by CONACYT grants CONACYT–BMBF J200.1442/2002 and 33337–A.

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