What is Immunology?
What is Immunology?
Immunology is the study of the immune system of the body and its functions and illnesses. As an important branch of biomedical science, it deals with the response of the organism to antigenic challenge, the recognition of self from non-self, and all of the biological, serological, and physical-chemical aspects of immune system of the body.
The term immunity comes from the Latin word ‘immunitas’, which means protection from legal prosecution. It evolved to be referred in the context of protection from disease and disease-causing pathogens. The factors like cells and molecules usually responsible for immunity make the immune system and their efforts with respect to etiological agents are known as immune responses. Immunology, as a branch of life science, is mainly concerned with the cellular and molecular events occurring in the body after its encounters with micro-organisms and other foreign particles. Every bodily process has a regulatory mechanism. The immune responses are produced against an pathogen or antigen upon entry inside the body and disappear on the clearance of the antigen. This is necessary in order to maintain homeostasis mechanism inside the body. Any deflection from the homeostasis leads to an immunological disease condition.
Immunology, in the beginning, was only a branch of Microbiology and Serology. Serology is the blood serum study (the transparent fluid that separates when blood clots). In China, in the past, doctors often used skin lesions of patients recovered from smallpox to cure smallpox in young children. Immunology received popularity when the first successful record of vaccination against smallpox came from the work of Edward Jenner.
Smallpox became the first disease that was eradicated worldwide by vaccination. Recently, Immunology has grown up by the arrival of new molecular biology tools. The current understanding of human immune system and its functions has remarkably improved. Advancements in this field such as recombinant DNA technology, monoclonal antibody production, immunohistochemistry, and x-ray crystallography have developed Immunology into an independent discipline.
Immunologists have a great scope in today’s volatile healthcare scenario worldwide. They are in continuous demand for a variety of roles in the healthcare and clinical research industry.
Read more:
- What are the skills required to study immunology
- What can I do after studying immunology
- What are the duties and responsibilities of immunologist
- Where will I work after studying immunology
- Best colleges to study immunology
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