29th of April, International Day of Immunology

The 29th of April marks the International Day of Immunology, a day dedicated to exploring and celebrating a vital field in the world of science, focused on the immune system and its essential functions for human health. To better understand this day and its significance, it is essential to address some key points about immunology.

The term "immunity" derives from the Latin word "immunitas", which originally referred to the protection granted to Roman senators from certain public duties while in office. However, over time, this term has evolved to refer to protection against diseases, especially infectious ones.

Immunologyis the branch of science that studies the immune systemand its response to pathogenic agents and foreign substances. The immune system has the physiological function of defending the organism against infectious microbes. However, it can also respond to non-infectious foreign substances and damaged cells, including malignant cells. There are two main types of immunity: innate and adaptive.

• Innate immunityacts as the first line of defense, responding quickly to invading microbes in the early stages of infection.
• Adaptive immunity, also known as specific, develops from previous exposure to a particular microbe and is characterised by more specialised and effective responses with each successive exposure.

Within immune alterations, we find autoimmune diseases. Autoimmunityis a significant cause of illness in humans and affects a notable proportion of the population, and it seems that the incidence of many autoimmune diseases is increasing.

Over the last two decades, we have witnessed significant advancesin our understanding of autoimmunity. These advances have been achieved mainly thanks to the development of informative animal models that simulate these diseases, the identification of genes that may increase predisposition to autoimmunity, and the refinement of analytical methods to study immune responsesin humans.

In summary, the International Day of Immunology is an opportunity to reflect on the importance of the immune system to human health and to recognise the advances and challenges in the field of immunology. By deepening our understanding of immunity and autoimmunity, we can move towards better strategiesfor diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases related to the immune system.

At CymitQuimica, we support the research of the immune system and autoimmune diseases with our extensive catalogue of antibodies.