Immunology

Immunology is an emerging branch of medical science that deals with studies related to different aspects of the immune system like the cells, structure, function, response against antigens, and disorders.

  • The immune system consists of a collection of cells, chemicals, processes, and mechanisms that function to protect the body from foreign antigens, such as microbes (organisms such as bacteria, fungi, and parasites), viruses, cancer cells, and toxins.
  • Beyond, the structural and chemical barriers which protect us from infection, the immune system consists of two lines of defense; innate immunity and adaptive immunity.
  • The innate immunity represents the first line of defense against the antigen, and it is an antigen-independent defense mechanism used by the host immediately or within hours of encountering an antigen.
  • On the other hand, adaptive immunity is antigen-dependent and antigen-specific and, therefore, includes a lag time between exposure to the antigen and maximal response.
  • Studies conducted in immunology are related to the measurement of physiological functioning of the immune system in both healthy and disease conditions, malfunctioning of the system in the case of disorders, and physical, chemical, and physiological characteristics of the cells of the immune system.
  • Immunology is fast becoming an important branch of clinical medicine as it has a close relationship with organ transplantation, oncology, virology, bacteriology, and even dermatology.
  • Immunology is focused on certain organs of the body like the bone marrow and the lymphatic system and the white blood cells found in the blood.
  • These cells or organs producing these cells are responsible, directly or indirectly, for the defense mechanism of the body against a pathogenic agent or other antigens.
  • These cells keep on circulating throughout the body via blood or lymph so that they can detect antigens entering the body from different sources.
  • An important aspect of immunology is immunotherapy, where components of the immune system or antigens are used to treat a disease or disorder as a form of treatment.