dendritic cell

American

noun

a branching cell of the lymph nodes, blood, and spleen that functions as a network trapping foreign protein.

dendritic cell Scientific

/ dĕn-drĭt′ĭk /

A highly specialized white blood cell found in the skin, mucosa, and lymphoid tissues that initiates a primary immune response by activating lymphocytes and secreting cytokines.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

This tolerance significantly reduces the effectiveness of dendritic cell vaccines, a type of immunotherapy designed to train the immune system to recognize and attack cancer.

From Science Daily • Jan. 16, 2026

The personalized dendritic cell vaccine, developed over the past dozen years under the leadership of Kandalaft and Coukos, is one of them.

From Science Daily • Sep. 21, 2023

Kat Goodsell, a friend and neighbour, found out about dendritic cell vaccines.

From BBC • Aug. 3, 2023

The specific phagocyte T. gondii likes to attack is called a dendritic cell.

From Salon • Nov. 1, 2022

A dendritic cell is an immune cell that mops up antigenic materials in its surroundings and presents them on its surface.

From Textbooks • Apr. 25, 2013

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023