Immunogenicity

Immunogenicity is the capacity of a substance or cell to provoke an immune response. It depends on the target’s properties and the host’s immune system.

Antigen presentation: The display of peptide fragments or other antigens by cell-surface molecules for recognition by immune cells. Presentation by major histocompatibility complex molecules is a central step in activating T cells against an immunogenic target.
Vaccine: A preparation that trains the immune system to recognize a pathogen or its products. Vaccines are designed to elicit protective immunogenicity against selected targets.
Antigen: A substance specifically recognized by antibodies or immune receptors. Immunogenicity concerns whether recognition of an antigen leads to an immune response.
Immunogenicity prediction: The estimation of whether and how strongly a substance will provoke an immune response. Prediction seeks to turn target and host features into reliable estimates of immunogenicity.
Major histocompatibility complex: A family of cell-surface proteins that presents antigen fragments to T cells. Differences in these proteins affect which target fragments can be presented and recognized.
Adjuvant: A substance added to a vaccine to enhance or direct the immune response to its antigen. Adjuvants can increase or alter the response to antigens that are weakly immunogenic on their own.
Epitope: The specific part of an antigen recognized by an antibody or immune-cell receptor. The number, accessibility, and structure of epitopes influence a target’s potential to provoke immunity.
Human leukocyte antigen: The human major histocompatibility complex proteins that present antigen fragments to T cells. Genetic variation in these proteins complicates predictions across individuals.
T-cell activation: The process by which T cells receive signals that initiate their proliferation and specialized functions. An immunogenic substance can trigger adaptive responses when antigen recognition is accompanied by activating signals.
Therapeutic protein: A protein-based medicine used to treat, prevent, or diagnose disease. Therapeutic proteins can provoke antibodies that affect safety or treatment effectiveness.

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