Dynamical properties of autoimmune disease models: Tolerance, flare-up, dormancy

The mechanisms of autoimmune disease have remained puzzling for a long time. Here we construct a simple mathematical model for autoimmune disease based on the personal immune response function and the target cell growth function. We show that these two functions are sufficient to capture the essence of autoimmune disease and can explain characteristic symptom phases such as tolerance, repeated flare-ups and dormancy. Our results strongly suggest that a more complete understanding of these two functions will underlie the development of an effective therapy for autoimmune disease.