How Immunogenicity Is Defined By The Ability Of Certain Substances

Antibodies are involved in the immune response. They're made up of two light polypeptide chains and two heavy polypeptide chains bonded together. Antibodies have a variable region which acts in a similar way to the active site of an enzyme. Each antibody has a variable region that is the complementary shape for a particular antigen and

An antigen is anything in the body the is non self which could include bacteria, viruses, chemicals or abnormal cell growth.

“Humoral immunity is a type of immune response that depends on antibodies.” The response begins when a pathogen binds to a B cell. The B cell will engulf the pathogen and display a part of the antigen on its exterior. Once a T cell is exposed to the antigen-presenting B cell, the T cell will release proteins to activate the B cell. Now that the B cell is activated, it will produce antibodies to cause the pathogens to clump together. In the last stage of humoral immunity, phagocytes will engulf and destroy the pathogens.

This, according to the clonal selection theory, the immune system functions on the “ready-made” rather than the “made-to-measure” principle. The question of how an animal makes so many different antibodies there for become a problem of genetics rather than one of protein chemistry” (Bowden 1006). This means that genetics determine how well the immune system works and this the key to figuring out a way to boost the immune system to help fight of infections and diseases before they even begin to weaken and infect the whole body. If someone decided they wanted to be immune to a snake bite or HIV the only thing that would have to be done is find one person just one that is immune and clone that person gene and add it to the other person who also wants to be immune to a certain disease, physical or chemical problem. “Scientist have grown replacement organs for sheep, rats and rabbits using the animal's own cells and alb molds to help the tissue take shape a technique that could be used someday to make spare parts for

IgA – antibodies that are secreted across mucus layer to prevent microbes from penetrating cell bodies

The innate and adaptive immune response start with exposure to an antigen in the epithelium of

This is immunity in an organism that’s a result from the production of antibodies or lymphocytes after an antigen is identified in the body.

Moreover, antigens coupled to the surface of liposomes consisting of unsaturated fatty acids have also been reported to be pinocytosed by APCs, loaded onto the class I MHC processing pathway, and presented to both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells [23]. Thus, adjuvant-coupled antigens are anticipated to be appropriate for the development of vaccines that induce humoral and cellular immunity [23, 24]. The T-cell dependent manner in which conjugate vaccines have been described to work could significantly boost immunogenicity compared to unconjugated antigens [25-28].

Immunology basically involves understanding the immune system and how it responds to various disease conditions. the immune system consists of a number of components. Traditionally, it is divided into humoral and cellular immune responses. It can also be distinguished into innate and adaptive immunity. The innate immunity can discriminate between normal tissues , self and newly encountered non-self-proteins while the adaptive immunity is the more complex system aimed at the eradication of intracellular pathogens. To do this, antigen derived from such pathogens that are often new to the host organism, need to be recognised by receptor-bearing specialised immune cells which respond to a complex system of stimulatory and costimulatory signals. Better understanding of the human immune system has led to the identification of a number of tumor-associated antigens in the 1980s and the development of various immunotherapeutic approaches. In recent years, identification of the specific antigenic MHC class I epitopes, advancements in genetic engineering, gene delivery, and cell-based therapeutic approaches allowed development of the novel immunotherapeutics.

First described by Karl Landsteiner, a hapten is a small molecule that can elicit an immune response only when it attaches itself to a larger carrier molecule, usually a protein creating the hapten-carrier adduct or hapten-carrier complex. This complex then has the ability to become immunogenic. Haptens react specifically to the antibodies created against it and while the hapten, alone, cannot cause antibodies to respond it, it can bind with antibodies and act as an antigen. An example of a substance acting as a hapten is penicillin. When administered as an antibiotic, penicillin can bind with proteins in the body to form a hapten-carrier complex and cause anaphylaxis. Another example is urushiol, a toxin found in poison ivy. During exposure, urushiol can bind with skin proteins creating a complex that then can cause dermatitis.

Antigens are substances that provoke an immune response (they're the ultimate target for the immune system). Antibodies are simply proteins that are secreted as a result of the antigen provoked immune response. In short, antigens cause the disease and

To be able to distinguish among self and non-self molecules, both immune and adaptive immunity depends on the ability of the immune system. Self molecules are known as the components in which the body disguise itself from foreign substances by immune system. Non-self discrimination molecules are known as the foreign molecules. One of its function is the antigen, this substance bind with specific immune receptors and immune response elicit.

Another type of cells that protect your body is the Phagocytes. Phagocytes are types of white blood cells that directly ingest the harmful pathogens through the process of phagocytosis. They bind to the pathogen and engulf it. When it engulfs the pathogen, Phagocytes keep the antigen so it can be presented to cells to make antibodies. (Kidshealth.org)

Immunoglobulins are also known as antibodies and they are glycoproteins that are produced by plasma cells. These antibodies are the line of defence against foreign particles such as viruses and bacteria in our human bodies. This is why so much research has been conducted to gain more understanding and knowledge on this protein. The more we know the behavior, structure and function of this protein, the more doors will be open in the field of medicine in fighting off these foreign particles. The interesting aspect of immunoglobulins is that they specifically bind to specific antigens to fight them off such as a specific bacteria or virus, so the specificity of these proteins is very interesting and complex

For the immune system to able to keep us healthy it needs to be able to recognise what is a danger to our body and therefore needs to be removed, and what is safe. Proteins are used to do this. Pathogens have proteins on their surface called antigens, which activate the immune system. Our own cells also have surface proteins which the immune system recognises as part of the body and therefore doesn’t attack. (1)