antigen
Immunology. any substance, as a protein, carbohydrate, etc., that, on entering the body, can stimulate an immune response and combine with a specific antibody or T cell receptor having a matching molecular structure.
Pharmacology. any commercial substance, usually synthetic, that stimulates the production of antibodies when injected or absorbed into animal tissues.
antigens of a particular type collectively.
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Origin of antigen
1Other words from antigen
- an·ti·gen·ic [an-ti-jen-ik], /ˌæn tɪˈdʒɛn ɪk/, adjective
- an·ti·gen·i·cal·ly, adverb
- an·ti·ge·nic·i·ty [an-ti-juh-nis-i-tee], /ˌæn tɪ dʒəˈnɪs ɪ ti/, noun
Words Nearby antigen
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use antigen in a sentence
Alitalia is even running special flights between Rome and Milan that are reserved for passengers that have had negative antigen tests, indicating that they do not have the virus in their systems.
‘We know the dogs work’: Coronavirus-sniffing dogs go into action at Helsinki Airport | David Meyer | September 23, 2020 | FortuneAs a result the only therapies approved by the FDA so far are focused on blood cancers that affect cells with idiosyncratic antigens.
Scientists Used Protein Switches to Turn T-Cells Into Cancer-Fighting Guided Missiles | Edd Gent | August 24, 2020 | Singularity HubAs of late July, travelers arriving at Tokyo’s Narita and Haneda airports are given rapid antigen tests with results in 30 minutes.
Why is the US so far behind on rapid testing for Covid-19? | Alexandra Ossola | August 7, 2020 | QuartzKnown as antigens, these can be parts of bacteria, viruses or other microbes.
“The DNA structure is like a pegboard where the antigens can be attached at any position,” said Bathe.
How Fake Viruses Can Help Us Make the Best Possible Vaccines | Shelly Fan | July 7, 2020 | Singularity Hub
Now, preventive protocols—like mammograms, colonoscopies, and Prostate-Specific antigen tests—are being questioned.
At the time his PSA screening revealed only a slightly higher level of the antigen than the cut-off for his age group.
Are PSA Screenings for Prostate Cancer Bad for Your Health? | Casey Schwartz | May 22, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTFord claims to have obtained proof that a glucoside contained in the poisonous mushroom Amanita phalloides can act as an antigen.
The Organism as a Whole | Jacques LoebThe complement fixation test is like a Wassermann reaction, but the antigen should be polyvalent.
The Ethics of Medical Homicide and Mutilation | Austin O'MalleyIt is not apparent that the nature of the antigen would affect Ehrlichs theory of the formation of antibodies.
The Fundamentals of Bacteriology | Charles Bradfield MorreyIf amboceptors as antigen are injected into an animal there will be formed by the animals cells antiamboceptors.
The Fundamentals of Bacteriology | Charles Bradfield MorreyThe substance within the introduced cell which acts as a stimulus (antigen) to the body cells is called an agglutinogen.
The Fundamentals of Bacteriology | Charles Bradfield Morrey
British Dictionary definitions for antigen
/ (ˈæntɪdʒən, -ˌdʒɛn) /
a substance that stimulates the production of antibodies
Origin of antigen
1Derived forms of antigen
- antigenic, adjective
- antigenically, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for antigen
[ ăn′tĭ-jən ]
A substance that stimulates the production of an antibody when introduced into the body. Antigens include toxins, bacteria, viruses, and other foreign substances. Compare antibody. See Note at blood type.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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