Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies

About: Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies is a nonprofit organization based out in San Diego, California, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: T cell & Antigen. The organization has 2323 authors who have published 2217 publications receiving 112618 citations.

Compositions Containing, Methods Involving, and Uses of Non-Natural Amino Acid Linked Dolastatin Derivatives

Abstract: Disclosed herein are non-natural amino acids and dolastatin analogs that include at least one non-natural amino acid, and methods for making such non-natural amino acids and polypeptides. The dolastatin analogs can include a wide range of possible functionalities, but typically have at least one oxime, carbonyl, dicarbonyl, and/or hydroxylamine group. Also disclosed herein are non-natural amino acid dolastatin analogs that are further modified post-translationally, methods for effecting such modifications, and methods for purifying such dolastatin analogs. Typically, the modified dolastatin analogs include at least one oxime, carbonyl, dicarbonyl, and/or hydroxylamine group. Further disclosed are methods for using such non-natural amino acid dolastatin analogs and modified non-natural amino acid dolastatin analogs, including therapeutic, diagnostic, and other biotechnology use.

On the relationship between the duration of an encounter and the evolution of cooperation in the iterated prisoner's dilemma

Abstract: Evolutionary programming experiments are conducted to examine the relationship between the durations of encounters and the evolution of cooperative behavior in the iterated prisoner's dilemma. A population of behavioral strategies represented by finite-state machines is evolved over successive generations, with selection made on the basis of individual fitness. Each finite-state machine is given an additional evolvable parameter corresponding to the maximum number of moves it will execute in any encounter. A series of Monte Carlo trials indicates distinct relationships between encounter length and cooperation; however, no causal relationship can be positively identified.

Techniques for grounding agent-based simulations in the real domain: a case study in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis

Abstract: For computational agent-based simulation, to become a serious tool for investigating biological systems requires the implications of simulation-derived results to be appreciated in terms of the original system. However, epistemic uncertainty regarding the exact nature of biological systems can complicate the calibration of models and simulations that attempt to capture their structure and behaviour, and can obscure the interpretation of simulation-derived experimental results with respect to the real domain. We present an approach to the calibration of an agent-based model of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a mouse proxy for multiple sclerosis (MS), which harnesses interaction between a modeller and domain expert in mitigating uncertainty in the data derived from the real domain. A novel uncertainty analysis technique is presented that, in conjunction with a latin hypercube-based global sensitivity analysis, can indicate the implications of epistemic uncertainty in the real domain. These ...

Antigen Processing by Autoreactive B Cells Promotes Determinant Spreading

Abstract: Acute primary immune responses tend to focus on few immunodominant determinants using a very limited number of T cell clones for expansion, whereas chronic inflammatory responses generally recruit a large number of different T cell clones to attack a broader range of determinants of the invading pathogens or the inflamed tissues. In T cell-mediated organ-specific autoimmune disease, a transition from the acute to the chronic phase contributes to pathogenesis, and the broadening process is called determinant spreading. The cellular components catalyzing the spreading reaction are not identified. It has been suggested that autoreactive B cells may play a central role in diversifying autoreactive T cell responses, possibly through affecting antigen processing and presentation. The clonal identity and diversity of the B cells and antibodies seem critical in regulating T cell activity and subsequent tissue damage or repair. Here, we use two autoimmune animal models, experimental autoimmune thyroiditis (EAT) and type 1 diabetes (T1D), to discuss how autoreactive B cells or antibodies alter the processing and presentation of autoantigens to regulate specific T cell response. Cellular & Molecular Immunology. 2005;2(3):169-175.