memory cell

American  

noun

Immunology.

1. any small, long-lived lymphocyte that has previously encountered a given antigen and that on reexposure to the same antigen rapidly initiates the immune response memory T cell or proliferates and produces large amounts of specific antibody memory B cell: the agent of lasting immunity.

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memory cell Cultural  

1. A cell in the immune system that, when exposed to an invading pathogen, replicates itself and remains in the lymph nodes searching for the same antigen, resulting in a more efficient and rapid response to any subsequent attack.

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The creation of memory cells is one of the main goals of vaccination.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

memory cell

The latter type of flash memory stores more bits of data per memory cell than the former.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 22, 2026

If the memory cell isn't tricked by the cancer, then it can fight and, crucially, remember what that cancerous cell looks like.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 25, 2023

A memory cell is an antigen-specific B or T lymphocyte that does not differentiate into effector cells during the primary immune response, but that can immediately become effector cells upon re-exposure to the same pathogen.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022

In practice, however, this currently works only with memory chips, which do not have a heat problem: they use circuits that consume power only when a memory cell is accessed, which is not that often.

From Nature ● Feb. 8, 2016

Somewhere in the recesses of his brain a memory cell broke.

From Half Portions by Edna Ferber