Making human immune systems more interpretable through systems immunology

The human immune system is a distributed system of specialized cell popula-tions with unique functions that collectively give rise to immune responses to infections and during immune-mediated diseases. Cell composition, plasma proteins, and functional responses vary among individuals, making the system difficult to interpret, but this variation is nonrandom. With careful analyses using novel experimental and computational tools, human immune system com-position and function carry interpretable information. Here, we propose that systems-level analyses offer an opportunity to make human immune responses more interpretable in the future, and we discuss herein important considerations and lessons learned to this end. Predictable human immunology holds implica-tions for better diagnostic and curative precision in patients with infectious and immune-associated diseases.

Automated summary

The human immune system consists of specialized cell populations with unique functions that collectively respond to infections and immune-mediated diseases. However, there is variation in cell composition, plasma proteins, and functional responses among individuals. By using novel experimental and computational tools, it is possible to interpret the composition and function of the human immune system. Systems-level analyses offer an opportunity to improve diagnostic and curative precision for infectious and immune-associated diseases.