Tumor associated antigen variation - in silico experiments using the sicilian grid

The human immune system is a complex and adaptive learning system which operates at multiple levels from molecule to cell, organ and organism. Immune cells and molecules exist in many forms which differ in their specificities. Research in immunology leading to vaccine development and drug discovery often involves simulation of immune system responses. The fundamental problem of tunnel immunology, and of immunology at large, is complexity. Intrinsic complexity of the immune system and of its relations with tumor and pathogens is compounded by external perturbations in the form of therapeutic or preventive interventions aimed at improving anti-tumor immunity. Antigenic variation is the process by which an infectious organism alters its surface proteins in order to evade a host immune response. In the present work we analyze, using SimTriplex simulator, the ability of the Triplex vaccine to overcome little antigenic variation in the tumor associated antigen of the mammamary carcinoma. This shows that the Grid infrastructure is useful in setting virtual experiment that can help biological understanding