immune response

American  

noun

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

---

immune response British  

noun

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

---

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

---

Etymology

Origin of immune response

First recorded in 1950–55

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

immune response

Scientists sequence the tumor to identify mutated proteins, which are also called neoantigens, and then create an mRNA strand using up to 34 of the neoantigens that they believe will produce the best immune response.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 21, 2026

Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have now identified a promising strategy for interrupting this damaging immune response.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 20, 2026

Doing so could help determine whether the proposed immune response is an important biological mechanism connecting red meat consumption with type 2 diabetes.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 18, 2026

The personalized treatment, which is called intismeran, is administered alongside Keytruda, which helps trigger the body’s immune response against the remaining cancer cells.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 21, 2026

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

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---