The role of computational models in designing vaccination strategies

Mathematical and computational models are designed to improve our understanding of biological phenomena, to confirm/reject hypotheses, and to find points of intervention by altering the behavior of the studied systems. Here we describe the role of mathematical/computational models of the immune system. In particular, we analyze some examples of how mathematical modeling can contribute to finding optimal vaccination strategies. Indeed, computational modeling offers an intriguing opportunity from the theoretical point of view, and it will be of interest for clinically oriented investigators who wish to find optimal therapeutic strategies and for pharmaceutical industries that want to produce effective and successful drugs.