Degeneracy, as opposed to specificity, in immunotherapy

Degeneracy, as opposed to specificity, in immunotherapy.

While it could be argued that Jenner, with his discovery of vaccination, ushered in the field of immunotherapy, manipulation of the human immune system to treat inflammatory diseases is only now coming of age. The mechanism behind immune specificity, the basic premise of vaccination, was largely solved with appreciation of how the MHC presents antigen, and with crystallization of the MHC/T cell...

Synthesis, as Opposed to Separation, of Variables

Every applied mathematician has used separation of variables. For a given boundary value problem (BVP) in two dimensions, the starting point of this powerful method is the separation of the given PDE into two ODEs. If the spectral analysis of either of these ODEs yields an appropriate transform pair, i.e., a transform consistent with the given boundary conditions, then the given BVP can be redu...

Structural Basis of Specificity and Degeneracy

Specificity and degeneracy: T cell recognition in CNS autoimmunity.

T cells play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of most autoimmune disorders. However, target antigens and pathomechanisms leading to human autoimmune diseases are still largely unknown. Cross-recognition of T cells between self and foreign antigens has been considered as a driving force in generating autoimmunity. Here, we discuss the extent of degeneracy in T cell antigen recognition and hypo...

Specificity may be overrated in cancer immunotherapy

For a long time, cancer immunotherapy has focused on the induction of tumor-specific T cell-mediated immune responses. Now, a mounting body of evidence indicates that efficient anticancer immune responses also rely on innate immunity. Tietze et al. have recently elucidated an antigen-nonspecific role for memory CD8(+) T cells in cytokine-based cancer immunotherapy.