immune response

American  

noun

1. any of the body's immunologic reactions to an antigen.

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immune response British  

noun

1. the reaction of an organism's body to foreign materials (antigens), including the production of antibodies

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immune response Scientific  

/ ĭ-myo̅o̅n′ /

1. A protective response of the body's immune system to an antigen, especially a microorganism or virus that causes disease. The immune response involves the action of lymphocytes that deactivate antigens either by stimulating the production of antibodies (humoral immune response) or by a direct attack on foreign cells (cell-mediated immune response.) An inability to produce a normal immune response results in immunodeficiency diseases such as AIDS.

2. See also cell-mediated immune response humoral immune response

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Etymology

Origin of immune response

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

In this case, the virus has been modified to replicate only inside tumor cells, causing them to burst, while simultaneously triggering a more aggressive immune response from the body’s own white blood cells.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

They also are sensitive to environmental conditions and can change chemical composition if stored at the wrong temperatures or shaken too vigorously, increasing the risk of an immune response or decreasing their effectiveness.

From Salon • Apr. 4, 2026

When activated, fibroblasts signaled macrophages in the lungs to initiate an immune response.

From Science Daily • Apr. 3, 2026

She wrote a letter to Kennedy in November urging the FDA to use enforcement discretion for certain peptides that she said were “critical to processes” such as metabolism, immune response and tissue repair.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 22, 2026

In contrast, mice inoculated with the rough strain mounted an immune response and survived.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee