immunologiaan

Immunology is the branch of biomedical science that studies the immune system, its structure, function, and role in health and disease. It investigates how the body defends itself against pathogens, distinguishes self from non-self, and uses immunological memory to respond more effectively to subsequent encounters with the same threat. It also examines immune-related disorders and therapies. In Finnish, the field is called immunologia.

The immune system comprises innate and adaptive components. Innate immunity provides rapid, nonspecific protection through physical barriers, phagocytes, natural killer cells, and complement pathways. Adaptive immunity offers highly specific, lasting protection via B cells and T cells, producing antibodies and targeted cellular responses. Major organs include bone marrow, thymus, spleen, lymph nodes, and mucosal tissues.

Antigen recognition triggers immune responses through clonal selection. B cells generate antibodies that neutralize pathogens, while T cells coordinate cellular immunity and can directly kill infected cells. Vaccination and exposure shape immune memory, enabling faster responses upon re-exposure. Immunology informs treatments for allergies, autoimmune diseases, infections, transplant rejection, and cancer, including monoclonal antibodies and other immunotherapies.

Historically, immunology developed from vaccine research, serology, and observations by scientists such as Jenner, Ehrlich, and Mechnikov. Contemporary immunology integrates genomics, systems biology, and bioinformatics to map complex networks of immune responses and to design personalized therapies, vaccines, and diagnostic tools.