Thomas Dupic (CIML) will give a short internal seminar.

Title: Stochasticity and Reproducibility in the Antibody Response

Abstract:
The antibody response is the last line of defense of our immune system, characterized by its capacity to generate specific antibodies against essentially any pathogen. More than any other biological system, this relies on randomness at every step: antibodies are generated through randomized cut-and-paste assembly of gene fragments; the B cells carrying them expand and decay under multiplicative noise, and their receptor genes acquire random mutations during a pseudo-Darwinian evolution in the germinal center. Despite this, or thanks to it, the system is remarkably reliable, repeatedly generating novel and functional antibodies against threats it has never encountered. The aim of this talk is to present this system from a physicist’s viewpoint and to discuss what is known about its specificity and reproducibility. In particular, I will focus on the predictability of the B-cell repertoire response to SARS-CoV-2, drawing on a study that combines longitudinal B-cell repertoire sequencing and high-throughput specificity measurements of antibodies.

Location: CIML Auditorium
Date: 09.11.2026
Time: 1:30 PM

CENTURI is also providing for off-campus participants only a zoom link to attend the seminar: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85941690095?pwd=Nm5NVGhESGlUbG1FMnZ2dU5vSlkxUT09

Meeting ID: 859 4169 0095
Secret Code: 002024

Title & Abstract will be able closer to the seminar date.