antigens

Cultural  

1. Substances that are foreign to the body and cause the production of antibodies. Toxins, invading bacteria and viruses, and the cells of transplanted organs can all function as antigens.

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Example Sentences

"It's becoming increasingly clear that many pathogens are able to quickly mutate. Like the proverbial leopard that changes its spots, a virus can change the antigens on its surface," Pulendran said.

From Science Daily • Feb. 23, 2026

In cancer immunotherapy, tumor derived molecules called antigens are paired with immune stimulating compounds known as adjuvants.

From Science Daily • Feb. 18, 2026

Illumination with red light is designed to rupture the cell, releasing cancer antigens that may activate the body’s immune system to fight the cancer.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 8, 2026

For those reasons, many doctors recommend men stop getting tested for prostate-cancer-related antigens, through what’s known as a PSA test, around age 70 or 75, depending on the individual’s overall health.

From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2025

Among the slipperiest of all is AIDS, which evolves new antigens even as it sits within an individual patient, thereby eventually overwhelming his or her immune system.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond