An Immunologic Network

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Abstract
A description of complex networks paraphrased and abbreviated from Waddington (1977) seems to apply nicely to the immune system: Input signals are parcelled into different circuits which branch and rebranch to give different output signals or products which need not be independent. Within the network positive feedback circuits tend to destabilize while negative feedback circuits tend to stabilize the system. Networks are difficult to model and often behave in unexpected ways because of difficulties in estimating rates of reactions, because of the absence or failure of components, or because the system is oscillating to a new equilibrium.