Francisco Varela’s vision of the immune system

Abstract

The author of the method of neurophenomenology and an advocate of a novel understanding of biological organization, known as autopoiesis, Francisco Varela (1946–2001) conducted long-term theoretical studies of the immune system. Working within the framework of the immune network theory of Niels Jerne, the Chilean biologist turned conceptual foundations of immunology upside down and argued that instead of acting as a system of defense, the immune system is primarily involved in interactions with organism’s own cells and molecules. Despite the immune network theory fell into disrepute, Varela left a lasting mark in the field’s conceptual infrastructure instilling a thought that what the immune system interacts with is shaped by the spontaneous activity of this system.