Immunology is the study of the immune system, the body's network of cells and molecules that defends against infection and, through vaccination, can be trained in advance to resist a specific disease.
Facts
Founded YearEdward Jenner's May 1796 cowpox inoculation of James Phipps, and the July 1796 test proving the boy immune to smallpox, is the conventional founding moment of immunology and of vaccination itself. Central QuestionHow does immune activity, long studied mainly for infectious disease, also contribute to the metabolic, cardiovascular, cancer and neurodegenerative disorders not traditionally viewed as immunologic? 2 ScopeImmunology studies the immune systems of all organisms, in both health and disease, including malfunctions such as autoimmune disorders and immunodeficiency. 2 SignificanceEdward Jenner's 1796 smallpox vaccination first demonstrated that deliberate exposure could confer immunity. The field gained its scientific footing over the following century through Ilya Ilyich Mechnikov's discovery of phagocytosis, for which he shared the 1908 Nobel Prize, and Paul Ehrlich's studies of graduated immunization. 2 Connections
Founded By
Source Immunology (Wikipedia)
Has Scientist
Source Baruj Benacerraf (Wikipedia)
Source Bruce Beutler (Wikipedia)
Source Charles Richet, Wikipedia
Source Edward Jenner (Britannica)
Source Indira Nath (Wikipedia)
Source Ralph M. Steinman (Wikipedia)
Source Wikipedia: Rotem Sorek
Source Shobhona Sharma (Wikipedia)
Source Siddhartha Mukherjee (Wikipedia)
Source Yifat Merbl (Wikipedia)
Has Theory
Studies
Source Edward Jenner (Britannica)
Uses
Flow cytometry counts and sorts individual cells by fluorescent-marker profile, the standard instrument for immune-cell phenotyping in immunology.
In the Other Atlases
- Also in Medicine Atlas: Immunology, the same subject.
Sources
1. History of Smallpox Vaccination (World Health Organization)
World Health OrganizationHistory of smallpox vaccination sectionQuote, History of smallpox vaccination section
It wasn't until May 1796 that the world's first vaccine was demonstrated, using the same principle as variolation but with a less dangerous viral source, cowpox. Having heard of local beliefs and practices in rural communities that cowpox protected against smallpox, Dr Edward Jenner inoculated 8-year-old James Phipps with matter from a cowpox sore on the hand of Sarah Nelmes, a local milkmaid.
2. Immunology (Wikipedia)
WikipediaLead section
Immunology is a branch of biology and medicine that covers the study of immune systems in all organisms.
- Founded By: Edward Jenner
View the Source Edward Jenner (Britannica)
Wikipedia: Rotem Sorek
Has Scientist: Rotem Sorek, Infobox, fieldsQuote, Has Scientist: Rotem Sorek, Infobox, fields
Infobox fields: Microbiology; Immunology; Genomics
Siddhartha Mukherjee (Wikipedia)
Has Scientist: Siddhartha Mukherjee, Infobox, fieldsQuote, Has Scientist: Siddhartha Mukherjee, Infobox, fields
Infobox fields: Immunology; Cancer epidemiology; Genetic epidemiology
Indira Nath (Wikipedia)
Has Scientist: Indira Nath, Infobox, fields
Infobox fields: Immunology
Has Scientist: Indira Nath, Lead sentence
Indira Nath (14 January 1938-24 October 2021) was an Indian immunologist.
View the SourceBaruj Benacerraf (Wikipedia)
Has Scientist: Baruj Benacerraf, Lead sentenceQuote, Has Scientist: Baruj Benacerraf, Lead sentence
Baruj Benacerraf Lasry (; October 29, 1920, August 2, 2011) was a Venezuelan immunologist, who shared the 1980 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the "discovery of the major histocompatibility complex genes which encode cell surface protein molecules important for the immune system's
Bruce Beutler (Wikipedia)
Has Scientist: Bruce Beutler, Infobox, fieldsQuote, Has Scientist: Bruce Beutler, Infobox, fields
Infobox fields: Immunology
Ralph M. Steinman (Wikipedia)
Has Scientist: Ralph M. Steinman, Infobox, fieldsQuote, Has Scientist: Ralph M. Steinman, Infobox, fields
Infobox fields: Immunology; Cell Biology
Charles Richet, Wikipedia
Has Scientist: Charles Richet, Lead sentenceQuote, Has Scientist: Charles Richet, Lead sentence
Charles Robert Richet (; 25 August 1850-4 December 1935) was a French physiologist at the Collège de France and immunology pioneer.
Yifat Merbl (Wikipedia)
Has Scientist: Yifat Merbl, Lead sentenceQuote, Has Scientist: Yifat Merbl, Lead sentence
Yifat Merbl (Hebrew: יפעת מרבל) is a professor of immunology at the Weizmann Institute of Science.
Shobhona Sharma (Wikipedia)
Has Scientist: Shobhona Sharma, Lead sentenceQuote, Has Scientist: Shobhona Sharma, Lead sentence
Shobhona Sharma (born 5 February 1953) is a professor specializing in immunology, molecular biology, and biochemistry at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai.
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