MiStImm: an agent-based simulation tool to study the self-nonself discrimination of the adaptive immune response

There is an increasing need for complex computational models to perform in silico experiments as an adjunct to in vitro and in vivo experiments in immunology. We introduce Microscopic Stochastic Immune System Simulator (MiStImm), an agent-based simulation tool, that is designed to study the self-nonself discrimination of the adaptive immune system. MiStImm can simulate some components of the humoral adaptive immune response, including T cells, B cells, antibodies, danger signals, interleukins, self cells, foreign antigens, and the interactions among them. The simulation starts after conception and progresses step by step (in time) driven by random simulation events. We also have provided tools to visualize and analyze the output of the simulation program