A software package for immunologists to learn simulation modeling.

Area of Science:

• Immunology
• Computational Biology
• Infectious Disease Dynamics

Background:

• Quantitative immunology increasingly relies on sophisticated computational tools like simulation models.
• A significant barrier to using these models is the requirement for prior computer coding experience.
• This limits accessibility for many immunologists and researchers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a software package that facilitates learning mechanistic simulation models for immunology.
• To enable researchers without coding experience to study infection and immune response dynamics.
• To lower the barrier to entry for computational modeling in immunology.

Main Methods:

• Development of the Dynamical Systems Approach to Immune Response Modeling (DSAIRM) R package.
• Implementation as a freely available R package.
• Provision of hands-on introduction and examples for users.

Main Results:

• DSAIRM teaches the use and basics of mechanistic simulation models without requiring users to write code.
• The software is accessible to immunologists and scientists with limited or no prior coding experience.
• The package provides introductory examples and explanations of model applications.

Conclusions:

• DSAIRM equips users to critically evaluate simulation-based studies in immunology literature.
• It helps researchers understand the applicability of modeling approaches to their own research questions.
• The package serves as a starting point for developing and utilizing simulation models in immunological research.