ABSTRACT
Inflammation, a complex protective response of the host body against injury or infection caused by microbes or toxins, leads to the removal of the agent and triggering of events leading to healing the host and repair of damaged tissue. Inflammation involves the regulation of genes, activation of molecules and immune cells, the release of proinflammatory mediators (including complement components, cytokines and chemokines) and the release of lytic enzymes. Inflammatory processes can be acute or chronic. This process also enables the synthesis of acute phase proteins (APPs) by the liver which have clinical importance as disease markers. Computational immunology and mathematical modelling holds great promise for understanding the complex process of inflammation and for designing therapeutic strategies. In this chapter, we discuss the different aspects of inflammation and the application of computational immunology in the study of inflammation.
