Oct
5,
2020
Oct 5, 2020
The covid-19 pandemic has raised a lot of questions regarding our immune system and the body’s ability to fight diseases. In addition to vaccine development and approaches that directly target the virus or block viral entry, treatments that address the immunopathology of the infection have become a major focus.
But what is immunology and how does our immune system work?
“Immunology is the study of the immune system and is a very important branch of the medical and biological sciences.” [1] We constantly encounter microorganisms that could harm our health. The immune system defends us against these threats and protects us from infection.
Edward Jenner’s discovery that vaccination with cowpox protects against smallpox in the 18th century marks the start of immunology. Many scientific breakthroughs followed in the 19th and 20th century and led to ‘amongst other things, safe organ transplantation, the identification of blood groups, and the now ubiquitous use of monoclonal antibodies throughout science and healthcare, immunology has changed the face of modern medicine.” [2]
Most of the cells of the immune system are produced as immature or stem cells in the bone marrow. These stem cells have the potential to differentiate and mature into the different cells of the immune system.
Here is a quick overview of the cells of the immune system:
Figure : Hematopoietic Stem Cell-Derived Cell Lineages
Learn more about the immune cells in this video : https://youtu.be/jZfRi7dPCrQ
REFERENCES :
[1] https://www.immunology.org/public-information/what-is-immunology
[2] https://www.immunology.org/public-information/what-is-immunology