affinity maturation


Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Legal, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.

Affinity Maturation

The increased average affinity of antibodies to an antigen, which follows immunisation. Affinity maturation results from an increase of specific and more homogeneous IgG antibodies, and follows a less specific and more heterogeneous early response by IgM molecules.
Segen's Medical Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.

affinity maturation

The mechanism during an immune response that produces antibodies with a strong ability to bind to a foreign antigen over time. Affinity maturation is produced by changes in the genes that encode immunoglobulin G (IgG) and by increased survival of those B lymphocytes that produce antibodies with the greatest ability to destroy a particular antigen. Increased affinity occurs only when B-cell activation is stimulated by helper T cells.
See also: maturation
Medical Dictionary, © 2009 Farlex and Partners
References in periodicals archive ?
Interestingly, if we look at the diverging correlation of AvIgG and AvIgE with specific IgE, we can also postulate that avidity is not only the outcome of an affinity maturation process of antibodies within an antibody isotype, but also the outcome of a mechanism, in which probably outcompeting of an immunoglobulin isotype over another could have been resulted by high-affinity antibodies in the maturation process [30].
Avidity studies in Anisakis simplex-associated allergic diseases
A hybrid between genetic algorithms and artificial immune system method has been proposed that takes into account the main immune aspects: selection and cloning of the most stimulated cells, death of non- stimulated cells, affinity maturation and re-selection of the clones with higher affinity, generation and maintenance of diversity, hypermutation proportional to the cell affinity.
Informative gene selection for clustering gene expression data using a hybrid GA/CSA
Improvement of a recombinant anti-monkey anti-CD3 diphtheria toxin based immunotoxin by yeast display affinity maturation of the scFv.
Affinity maturation of tacrolimus antibody for improved immunoassay performance
The improvement in homotypic neutralizing antibody titer and decrease in heterotypic neutralizing antibody titer described here is reminiscent of affinity maturation. However, long-lived plasma cells would not be expected to participate in the selection process required for affinity maturation.
Neutralizing antibodies after infection with dengue 1 virus
The Xenerex system is able to take advantage of the unique in vivo cellular interactions, which occur in the human immune system that result in natural affinity maturation. This is the process by which the immune system generates antibodies of high specificity and affinity.
PEREGRINE INITIATES ANTIBODY GENERATION AGAINST 2 TARGETS
The combination of Abgenix's high throughput selection technologyM and Abgenix's XenoMouse takes advantage of the natural in vivo affinity maturation process and the maintenance of the original heavy and light chain pairs.
Abgenix and Celltech enter technology licensing and co-development agreement
Medical browser ?
Full browser ?