The following are notable events in the Timeline of immunology: * 2600 BCE – Imhotep uses poultice on an open wound in breast cancer to induce infection and destroy the tumor. * 1549 – The earliest account of inoculation of

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...

(

variolation Variolation was the method of inoculation first used to immunize individuals against smallpox (''Variola'') with material taken from a patient or a recently variolated individual, in the hope that a mild, but protective, infection would result. Var ...

) occurs in Wan Quan's (1499–1582) ''Douzhen Xinfa'' (痘疹心法).Needham, Joseph. (2000).
Science and Civilization in China: Volume 6, Biology and Biological Technology, Part 6, Medicine
''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Page 134. * 1718 – Smallpox inoculation in

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

realized by West, and Henry Kipkosgei , recorded the positive effects of

. * 1761 – A case of breast cancer cured after ulcerating and getting infected is reported by Lambergen * 1796 – First demonstration of

smallpox vaccination The smallpox vaccine is the first vaccine to be developed against a contagious disease. In 1796, British physician Edward Jenner demonstrated that an infection with the relatively mild cowpox virus conferred immunity against the deadly smallpox ...

(

Edward Jenner Edward Jenner, (17 May 1749 – 26 January 1823) was a British physician and scientist who pioneered the concept of vaccines, and created the smallpox vaccine, the world's first vaccine. The terms ''vaccine'' and ''vaccination'' are derived f ...

) * 1808 – 1813 - First experimental demonstration of the

germ theory of disease The germ theory of disease is the currently accepted scientific theory for many diseases. It states that microorganisms known as pathogens or "germs" can lead to disease. These small organisms, too small to be seen without magnification, invade ...

Agostino Bassi Agostino Bassi, sometimes called de Lodi (25 September 1773 – 8 February 1856), was an Italian entomologist. He preceded Louis Pasteur in the discovery that microorganisms can be the cause of disease (the germ theory of disease). He discovered ...

though he does not formally propose the theory until 1844 * 1813 – Vautier reports

spontaneous remission Spontaneous remission, also called spontaneous healing or spontaneous regression, is an unexpected improvement or cure from a disease that usually progresses. These terms are commonly used for unexpected transient or final improvements in cancer. S ...

of cancer after gangrene infection (later to be known as ''

Clostridium perfringens ''Clostridium perfringens'' (formerly known as ''C. welchii'', or ''Bacillus welchii'') is a Gram-positive, rod-shaped, anaerobic, spore-forming pathogenic bacterium of the genus ''Clostridium''. ''C. perfringens'' is ever-present in nature an ...

'') * 1829 – Another case of

of breast cancer after a patient refused surgery and the tumor ruptured, became infected and during a febrile illness with purulent discharge, it shrunk and disappeared after a few weeks. (

Guillaume Dupuytren Baron Guillaume Dupuytren (; 5 October 1777 – 8 February 1835) was a French anatomist and military surgeon. Although he gained much esteem for treating Napoleon Bonaparte's hemorrhoids, he is best known today for his description of Dupuytren' ...

) * 1837 – Description of the role of microbes in putrefaction and fermentation ( Theodore Schwann) * 1838 – Confirmation of the role of yeast in fermentation of sugar to alcohol ( Charles Cagniard-Latour) * 1850 – Demonstration of the contagious nature of puerperal fever (childbed fever) (

Ignaz Semmelweis Ignaz Philipp Semmelweis (; hu, Semmelweis Ignác Fülöp ; 1 July 1818 – 13 August 1865) was a Hungarian physician and scientist, who was an early pioneer of antiseptic procedures. Described as the "saviour of mothers", he discovered that t ...

) * 1857–1870 – Confirmation of the role of microbes in fermentation ( Louis Pasteur) * 1862 –

Phagocytosis Phagocytosis () is the process by which a cell uses its plasma membrane to engulf a large particle (≥ 0.5 μm), giving rise to an internal compartment called the phagosome. It is one type of endocytosis. A cell that performs phagocytosis is ...

( Ernst Haeckel) * 1867 – Aseptic practice in surgery using carbolic acid (

Joseph Lister Joseph Lister, 1st Baron Lister, (5 April 182710 February 1912) was a British surgeon, medical scientist, experimental pathologist and a pioneer of antiseptic surgery and preventative medicine. Joseph Lister revolutionised the craft of ...

) * 1868 – Busch discovered that a sarcoma patient being surgically intervened to remove the tumor, after being exposed to a patient suffering from

erysipelas Erysipelas () is a relatively common bacterial infection of the superficial layer of the skin ( upper dermis), extending to the superficial lymphatic vessels within the skin, characterized by a raised, well-defined, tender, bright red rash, t ...

, got a skin infection and her tumor disappeared. He inoculated some other cancer patients with many successes. * 1876 – Demonstration that microbes can cause disease-anthrax (

Robert Koch Heinrich Hermann Robert Koch ( , ; 11 December 1843 – 27 May 1910) was a German physician and microbiologist. As the discoverer of the specific causative agents of deadly infectious diseases including tuberculosis, cholera (though the bacteri ...

) * 1877 –

Mast cell A mast cell (also known as a mastocyte or a labrocyte) is a resident cell of connective tissue that contains many granules rich in histamine and heparin. Specifically, it is a type of granulocyte derived from the myeloid stem cell that is a par ...

s (

Paul Ehrlich Paul Ehrlich (; 14 March 1854 – 20 August 1915) was a Nobel Prize-winning German physician and scientist who worked in the fields of hematology, immunology, and antimicrobial chemotherapy. Among his foremost achievements were finding a cure ...

) * 1878 – Confirmation and popularization of the germ theory of disease ( Louis Pasteur) * 1880 – 81 Theory that bacterial virulence could be attenuated by culture in vitro and used as vaccines. Used to make chicken cholera and anthrax "vaccines" ( Louis Pasteur) * 1882 – Identification of ''

Streptococcus pyogenes ''Streptococcus pyogenes'' is a species of Gram-positive, aerotolerant bacteria in the genus '' Streptococcus''. These bacteria are extracellular, and made up of non-motile and non-sporing cocci (round cells) that tend to link in chains. They ...

'' as the causative agent of

(

Friedrich Fehleisen Friedrich Fehleisen () (1854–1924) was a German surgeon whose work focused on streptococcal bacteria. Dr. Fehleisen's work played a necessary role in the eventual uncovering of the etiology of many streptococcal illnesses. He made integral contri ...

). He repeats Busch experiments inoculating cancer patients with eryisipelas, noting tumor regression in many of them. * 1883 – 1905 – Cellular theory of immunity via phagocytosis by macrophages and microphages (polymorhonuclear leukocytes) (

Elie Metchnikoff Elie and Earlsferry is a coastal town and former royal burgh in Fife, and parish, Scotland, situated within the East Neuk beside Chapel Ness on the north coast of the Firth of Forth, eight miles east of Leven. The burgh comprised the linked ...

) * 1885 – Introduction of concept of a "therapeutic vaccination". Report of a live "attenuated" vaccine for rabies ( Louis Pasteur and Pierre Paul Émile Roux). * 1888 – Identification of bacterial toxins (

diphtheria Diphtheria is an infection caused by the bacterium '' Corynebacterium diphtheriae''. Most infections are asymptomatic or have a mild clinical course, but in some outbreaks more than 10% of those diagnosed with the disease may die. Signs and s ...

bacillus) ( Pierre Roux and

Alexandre Yersin Alexandre Emile Jean Yersin (22 September 1863 – 1 March 1943) was a Swiss- French physician and bacteriologist. He is remembered as the co-discoverer of the bacillus responsible for the bubonic plague or pest, which was later named in hi ...

) * 1888 – Bactericidal action of blood (

George Nuttall George Henry Falkiner Nuttall FRS (5 July 1862 – 16 December 1937) was an American-British bacteriologist who contributed much to the knowledge of parasites and of insect carriers of diseases. He made significant innovative discoveries in immu ...

) * 1890 – Demonstration of antibody activity against

and

tetanus Tetanus, also known as lockjaw, is a bacterial infection caused by ''Clostridium tetani'', and is characterized by muscle spasms. In the most common type, the spasms begin in the jaw and then progress to the rest of the body. Each spasm usually ...

toxins. Beginning of humoral theory of immunity. (

Emil von Behring Emil von Behring (; Emil Adolf von Behring), born Emil Adolf Behring (15 March 1854 – 31 March 1917), was a German physiologist who received the 1901 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, the first one awarded in that field, for his discovery ...

) and (

Kitasato Shibasaburō Baron was a Japanese physician and bacteriologist. He is remembered as the co-discoverer of the infectious agent of bubonic plague in Hong Kong during an outbreak in 1894, almost simultaneously with Alexandre Yersin. Kitasato was nominate ...

) * 1891 – Demonstration of cutaneous (delayed type) hypersensitivity (

) * 1893 – Use of live bacteria and bacterial lysates to treat tumors-"

Coley's Toxins Coley's toxins (also called Coley's toxin, Coley's vaccine, Coley vaccine, Coley's fluid or mixed bacterial vaccine) is a mixture containing toxins filtered from killed bacteria of species ''Streptococcus pyogenes'' and ''Serratia marcescens'', na ...

", based on Busch and Fehleisen experiences ( William B. Coley) * 1894 – Bacteriolysis ( Richard Pfeiffer) * 1896 – An antibacterial, heat-labile serum component (

complement A complement is something that completes something else. Complement may refer specifically to: The arts * Complement (music), an interval that, when added to another, spans an octave ** Aggregate complementation, the separation of pitch-clas ...

) is described ( Jules Bordet) * 1900 –

Antibody An antibody (Ab), also known as an immunoglobulin (Ig), is a large, Y-shaped protein used by the immune system to identify and neutralize foreign objects such as pathogenic bacteria and viruses. The antibody recognizes a unique molecule of the ...

formation theory (

) * 1901 –

Blood groups The term human blood group systems is defined by the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT) as systems in the human species where cell-surface antigens—in particular, those on blood cells—are "controlled at a single gene locus or by ...

(

Karl Landsteiner Karl Landsteiner (; 14 June 1868 – 26 June 1943) was an Austrian-born American biologist, physician, and immunologist. He distinguished the main blood groups in 1900, having developed the modern system of classification of blood groups from ...

) * 1902 – Immediate hypersensitivity

anaphylaxis Anaphylaxis is a serious, potentially fatal allergic reaction and medical emergency that is rapid in onset and requires immediate medical attention regardless of use of emergency medication on site. It typically causes more than one of the foll ...

( Paul Portier) and (

Charles Richet Charles Robert Richet (25 August 1850 – 4 December 1935) was a French physiologist at the Collège de France known for his pioneering work in immunology. In 1913, he won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine "in recognition of his work on ...

) * 1903 – Intermediate hypersensitivity, the "Arthus reaction" ( Maurice Arthus) * 1903 –

Opsonization Opsonins are extracellular proteins that, when bound to substances or cells, induce phagocytes to phagocytose the substances or cells with the opsonins bound. Thus, opsonins act as tags to label things in the body that should be phagocytosed (i.e. ...

* 1905 – "Serum sickness"

allergy Allergies, also known as allergic diseases, refer a number of conditions caused by the hypersensitivity of the immune system to typically harmless substances in the environment. These diseases include hay fever, food allergies, atopic derm ...

(

Clemens von Pirquet Clemens Peter Freiherr von Pirquet (12 May 187428 February 1929) was an Austrian scientist and pediatrician best known for his contributions to the fields of bacteriology and immunology. Career Born in Vienna, he studied theology at the Universit ...

and ( Bela Schick) * 1909 –

proposes "immune surveillance" hypothesis of tumor recognition and eradication * 1911 – 2nd demonstration of filterable agent that caused tumors ( Peyton Rous) * 1917 –

Hapten In immunology, haptens are small molecules that elicit an immune response only when attached to a large carrier such as a protein; the carrier may be one that also does not elicit an immune response by itself (in general, only large molecules, i ...

(

) * 1921 – Cutaneous allergic reactions ( Otto Prausnitz and Heinz Küstner) * 1924 –

Reticuloendothelial system In anatomy the term "reticuloendothelial system" (abbreviated RES), often associated nowadays with the mononuclear phagocyte system (MPS), was originally launched by the beginning of the 20th century to denote a system of specialised cells that eff ...

* 1938 –

Antigen In immunology, an antigen (Ag) is a molecule or molecular structure or any foreign particulate matter or a pollen grain that can bind to a specific antibody or T-cell receptor. The presence of antigens in the body may trigger an immune respons ...

-Antibody binding hypothesis (

John Marrack Professor John Richardson Marrack, DSO, MC (26 November 1886 – 1976) was the Emeritus Professor of Chemical Pathology in the University of London, visiting professor to the University of Texas and known for his book ''Antigens and Antibodies' ...

) * 1940 – Identification of the Rh antigens (

and Alexander Weiner) * 1942 –

Anaphylaxis Anaphylaxis is a serious, potentially fatal allergic reaction and medical emergency that is rapid in onset and requires immediate medical attention regardless of use of emergency medication on site. It typically causes more than one of the foll ...

(

and Merill Chase) * 1942 –

Adjuvant In pharmacology, an adjuvant is a drug or other substance, or a combination of substances, that is used to increase the efficacy or potency of certain drugs. Specifically, the term can refer to: * Adjuvant therapy in cancer management * Analgesi ...

s ( Jules Freund and Katherine McDermott) * 1944 – hypothesis of

allograft Allotransplant (''allo-'' meaning "other" in Greek) is the transplantation of cells, tissues, or organs to a recipient from a genetically non-identical donor of the same species. The transplant is called an allograft, allogeneic transplant, o ...

rejection * 1945 –

Coombs test A Coombs test, also known as antiglobulin test (AGT), is either of two blood tests used in immunohematology. They are the direct and indirect Coombs tests. The direct Coombs test detects antibodies that are stuck to the surface of the red blood ...

antiglobulin test (AGT) * 1946 – Identification of mouse MHC (H2) by George Snell and Peter A. Gorer * 1948 – Antibody production in plasma B cells ( Astrid Fagraeus) * 1949 – Growth of polio virus in tissue culture, neutralization, and demonstration of attenuation of neurovirulence (

John Enders John Franklin Enders (February 10, 1897 – September 8, 1985) was an American biomedical scientist and Nobel Laureate. Enders has been called "The Father of Modern Vaccines." Life and education Enders was born in West Hartford, Connecticut on F ...

) and ( Thomas Weller) and ( Frederick Robbins) * 1951 – A vaccine against

yellow fever Yellow fever is a viral disease of typically short duration. In most cases, symptoms include fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle pains – particularly in the back – and headaches. Symptoms typically improve within five days. ...

* 1953 – Graft-versus-host disease * 1953 – Validation of immunological tolerance hypothesis * 1957 –

Clonal selection theory In immunology, clonal selection theory explains the functions of cells of the immune system (lymphocytes) in response to specific antigens invading the body. The concept was introduced by Australian doctor Frank Macfarlane Burnet in 1957, in an ...

(

Frank Macfarlane Burnet Sir Frank Macfarlane Burnet, (3 September 1899 – 31 August 1985), usually known as Macfarlane or Mac Burnet, was an Australian virologist known for his contributions to immunology. He won a Nobel Prize in 1960 for predicting acquired immune ...

) * 1957 – Discovery of interferon by Alick Isaacs and

Jean Lindenmann Jean Lindenmann (September 18, 1924 – January 15, 2015) was a Swiss virologist and immunologist. Lindenmann, together with his colleague, the British virologist Alick Isaacs, co-discovered and identified interferon in 1957 through their resea ...

* 1958–1962 – Discovery of human leukocyte antigens (

Jean Dausset Jean-Baptiste-Gabriel-Joachim Dausset (19 October 1916 – 6 June 2009) was a French immunologist born in Toulouse, France. Dausset received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1980 along with Baruj Benacerraf and George Davis Snell fo ...

and others) * 1959–1962 – Discovery of antibody structure (independently elucidated by

Gerald Edelman Gerald Maurice Edelman (; July 1, 1929 – May 17, 2014) was an American biologist who shared the 1972 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for work with Rodney Robert Porter on the immune system. Edelman's Nobel Prize-winning research concern ...

and Rodney Porter) * 1959 – Discovery of

lymphocyte A lymphocyte is a type of white blood cell (leukocyte) in the immune system of most vertebrates. Lymphocytes include natural killer cells (which function in cell-mediated, cytotoxic innate immunity), T cells (for cell-mediated, cytotoxic ad ...

circulation ( James Gowans) * 1960 – Discovery of lymphocyte "blastogenic transformation" and proliferation in response to mitogenic lectins-phytohemagglutinin (PHA) ( Peter Nowell) * 1961–1962 Discovery of

thymus The thymus is a specialized primary lymphoid organ of the immune system. Within the thymus, thymus cell lymphocytes or ''T cells'' mature. T cells are critical to the adaptive immune system, where the body adapts to specific foreign invaders. ...

involvement in cellular immunity (

Jacques Miller Jacques Francis Albert Pierre Miller AC FRS FAA (born 2 April 1931) is a French-Australian research scientist. He is known for having discovered the function of the thymus and for the identification, in mammalian species of the two major subset ...

) * 1960 –

Radioimmunoassay A radioimmunoassay (RIA) is an immunoassay that uses radiolabeled molecules in a stepwise formation of immune complexes. A RIA is a very sensitive in vitro assay technique used to measure concentrations of substances, usually measuring antigen conc ...

– (

Rosalyn Sussman Yalow Rosalyn Sussman Yalow (July 19, 1921 – May 30, 2011) was an American medical physicist, and a co-winner of the 1977 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (together with Roger Guillemin and Andrew Schally) for development of the radioimmunoassay ...

) * 1961 – Demonstration that glucocorticoids inhibit PHA-induced lymphocyte proliferation ( Peter Nowell) * 1963 – Development of the plaque assay for the enumeration of antibody-forming cells in vitro by

Niels Jerne Niels is a male given name, equivalent to Nicholas, which is common in Denmark, Belgium, Norway (formerly) and the Netherlands. The Norwegian and Swedish variant is Nils. The name is a developed short form of Nicholas or Greek Nicolaos after Saint ...

and Albert Nordin * 1963 – Gell and Coombs classification of hypersensitivity * 1964–1968 – T and B cell cooperation in immune response * 1965 – Discovery of lymphocyte mitogenic activity, "blastogenic factor" ( Shinpei Kamakura) and ( Louis Lowenstein) ( J. Gordon) and ( L.D. MacLean) * 1965 – Discovery of "immune interferon" ( gamma interferon) ( E.F. Wheelock) * 1965 – Secretory immunoglobulins * 1967 – Identification of

IgE Immunoglobulin E (IgE) is a type of antibody (or immunoglobulin (Ig) " isotype") that has been found only in mammals. IgE is synthesised by plasma cells. Monomers of IgE consist of two heavy chains (ε chain) and two light chains, with the ε c ...

as the reaginic antibody (

Kimishige Ishizaka was a Japanese immunologist who, with his wife Teruko Ishizaka, discovered the antibody class Immunoglobulin E (IgE) in 1966–1967. Their work was regarded as a major breakthrough in the understanding of allergy. He was awarded the 1973 Gair ...

) * 1968 – Passenger leukocytes identified as significant immunogens in allograft rejection ( William L. Elkins and Ronald D. Guttmann) * 1969 – The lymphocyte cytolysis Cr51 release assay ( Theodore Brunner) and ( Jean-Charles Cerottini) * 1971 – Peter Perlmann and

Eva Engvall Eva Engvall, born 1940, is one of the scientists who invented ELISA in 1971. She is an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Vita Eva Engvall earned her PhD from the University of Stockholm in 1975. Her postd ...

at Stockholm University invented

ELISA The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) (, ) is a commonly used analytical biochemistry assay, first described by Eva Engvall and Peter Perlmann in 1971. The assay uses a solid-phase type of enzyme immunoassay (EIA) to detect the presen ...

* 1972 – Structure of the antibody molecule * 1973 – Dendritic Cells first described by Ralph M. Steinman * 1974 – Immune Network Hypothesis (

) * 1974 – T-cell restriction to MHC (

Rolf Zinkernagel Rolf Martin Zinkernagel (born 6 January 1944) is Professor of Experimental Immunology at the University of Zurich. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1996 for the discovery of how the immune system recognizes virus-infe ...

and ( Peter C. Doherty) * 1975 – Generation of monoclonal antibodies ( Georges Köhler) and ( César Milstein) * 1975 – Discovery of

Natural Killer cells Natural killer cells, also known as NK cells or large granular lymphocytes (LGL), are a type of cytotoxic lymphocyte critical to the innate immune system that belong to the rapidly expanding family of known innate lymphoid cells (ILC) and represen ...

( Rolf Kiessling, Eva Klein, Hans Wigzell) * 1976 – Identification of somatic recombination of immunoglobulin genes ( Susumu Tonegawa) * 1980–1983 – Discovery and characterization of interleukins, 1 and 2 IL-1

IL-2 The Ilyushin Il-2 (Russian: Илью́шин Ил-2) is a ground-attack plane that was produced by the Soviet Union in large numbers during the Second World War. The word ''shturmovík'' ( Cyrillic: штурмовик), the generic Russian term ...

(

Robert Gallo Robert Charles Gallo (; born March 23, 1937) is an American biomedical researcher. He is best known for his role in establishing the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) as the infectious agent responsible for acquired immune deficiency syndrome ...

, Kendall A. Smith,

Tadatsugu Taniguchi is a Japanese immunologist known for his pioneer research on Interferons and Interferon regulatory factors. Contribution Taniguchi's work is mostly focused on immunity and oncogenesis, in particular on the mechanisms of signal transduction ...

) * 1983 – Discovery of the T cell antigen receptor TCR ( Ellis Reinherz) ( Philippa Marrack) and ( John Kappler) ( James Allison) * 1983 – Discovery of

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...

( Luc Montagnier) (

Françoise Barré-Sinoussi (; born 30 July 1947) is a French virologist and Director of the Regulation of Retroviral Infections Division (french: Unité de Régulation des Infections Rétrovirales) and Professor at the in Paris, France. Born in Paris, France, Barré-Sino ...

) (

) * 1985–1987 – Identification of genes for the T cell receptor * 1986 –

Hepatitis B Hepatitis B is an infectious disease caused by the '' Hepatitis B virus'' (HBV) that affects the liver; it is a type of viral hepatitis. It can cause both acute and chronic infection. Many people have no symptoms during an initial infection. ...

vaccine produced by genetic engineering * 1986 – Th1 vs Th2 model of

T helper cell The T helper cells (Th cells), also known as CD4+ cells or CD4-positive cells, are a type of T cell that play an important role in the adaptive immune system. They aid the activity of other immune cells by releasing cytokines. They are consider ...

function ( Timothy Mosmann) * 1988 – Discovery of biochemical initiators of T-cell activation: CD4- and CD8-p56lck complexes ( Christopher E. Rudd) * 1990 –

Gene therapy Gene therapy is a medical field which focuses on the genetic modification of cells to produce a therapeutic effect or the treatment of disease by repairing or reconstructing defective genetic material. The first attempt at modifying human DN ...

for SCID * 1991 – Role of peptide for MHC Class II structure (Scheherazade Sadegh-Nasseri & Ronald N. Germain) * 1992 – Discovery of transitional B cells (David Allman & Michael Cancro) * 1994 –

Danger model The danger model of the immune system proposes that it differentiates between components that are capable of causing damage, rather that distinguishing between self and non-self. History of immunologic models The first major immunologic model wa ...

of immunological tolerance ( Polly Matzinger) * 1995 –

James P. Allison James Patrick Allison (born August 7, 1948) is an American immunologist and Nobel laureate who holds the position of professor and chair of immunology and executive director of immunotherapy platform at the MD Anderson Cancer Center at the Uni ...

describes the function of

CTLA-4 CTLA-4 or CTLA4 (cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4), also known as CD152 ( cluster of differentiation 152), is a protein receptor that functions as an immune checkpoint and downregulates immune responses. CTLA-4 is constitutively exp ...

* 1995 – Regulatory T cells ( Shimon Sakaguchi) * 1995 – First Dendritic cell vaccine trial reported by Mukherji et al. * 1996 – 1998 – Identification of

Toll-like receptor Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are a class of proteins that play a key role in the innate immune system. They are single-pass membrane-spanning receptors usually expressed on sentinel cells such as macrophages and dendritic cells, that recognize ...

s * 1997 – Discovery of the

autoimmune regulator The autoimmune regulator (''AIRE'') is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''AIRE'' gene. It is a 13kb gene on chromosome 21q22.3 that has 545 amino acids. AIRE is a transcription factor expressed in the medulla (inner part) of the thymus. ...

and the AIRE gene. * 2000 – Characterization of M1 and M2 macrophage subsets by Charles Mills * 2001 – Discovery of

FOXP3 FOXP3 ( forkhead box P3), also known as scurfin, is a protein involved in immune system responses. A member of the FOX protein family, FOXP3 appears to function as a master regulator of the regulatory pathway in the development and function of ...

– the gene directing

regulatory T cell The regulatory T cells (Tregs or Treg cells), formerly known as suppressor T cells, are a subpopulation of T cells that modulate the immune system, maintain tolerance to self-antigens, and prevent autoimmune disease. Treg cells are immunosu ...

development * 2005 – Development of

human papillomavirus Human papillomavirus infection (HPV infection) is caused by a DNA virus from the ''Papillomaviridae'' family. Many HPV infections cause no symptoms and 90% resolve spontaneously within two years. In some cases, an HPV infection persists and res ...

vaccine (

Ian Frazer Ian Hector Frazer (born 6 January 1953) is a Scottish-born Australian immunologist, the founding CEO and Director of Research of the Translational Research Institute (Australia). Frazer and Jian Zhou developed and patented the basic technolo ...

) * 2006 – Antigen-specific NK cell memory first reported by Ulrich von Andrian's group after discovery by Mahmoud Goodarzi * 2010 – The first autologous cell-based cancer vaccine,

provenge Sipuleucel-T, sold under the brand name Provenge, developed by Dendreon Pharmaceuticals, LLC, is a cell-based cancer immunotherapy for prostate cancer (CaP). It is an autologous cellular immunotherapy. Medical uses Sipuleucel-T is indicated ...

, is approved by the FDA for the treatment of metastatic, asymptomatic stage IV prostate cancer. * 2010 – First immune checkpoint inhibitor, ipilimumab (anti-CTLA-4), is approved by the FDA for treatment of stage IV melanoma * 2011 – Carl H. June reports first successful use of CAR T-cells expressing the 4-1BB costimulatory signaling domain for the treatment of CD19+ malignancies * 2014 – A second class of immune checkpoint inhibitor (anti-PD-1) is approved by the FDA for the treatment of melanoma.

Pembrolizumab Pembrolizumab, sold under the brand name Keytruda, is a humanized antibody used in cancer immunotherapy that treats melanoma, lung cancer, head and neck cancer, Hodgkin lymphoma, stomach cancer, cervical cancer, and certain types of breast canc ...

and

nivolumab Nivolumab, sold under the brand name Opdivo, is a medication used to treat a number of types of cancer. This includes melanoma, lung cancer, malignant pleural mesothelioma, renal cell carcinoma, Hodgkin lymphoma, head and neck cancer, urotheli ...

are approved within months of each other. * 2016 –

Halpert Halpert is a Norman French surname which varied from the French surname ''Halbert'', and ultimately derives from the Germanic masculine name Adelbert. It may refer to: People *Edith Halpert (1900–1970), Russian-born American art dealer and colle ...

and Konduri first characterize the role of dendritic cell CTLA-4 in Th immune polarization * 2016 – A third class of immune checkpoint inhibitor, anti-PD-L1 (

atezolizumab Atezolizumab, sold under the brand name Tecentriq, is a monoclonal antibody medication used to treat urothelial carcinoma, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), small cell lung cancer (SCLC), hepatocellula ...

), is approved for the treatment of bladder cancer * 2017 – First autologous CAR T-cell therapy tisagenlecleucel approved for the treatment of pediatric B-ALL; second autologous CAR T-cell therapy axicabtagene ciloleucel (Yescarta) is approved. * 2020 – The first

mRNA vaccine An mRNA vaccine is a type of vaccine that uses a copy of a molecule called messenger RNA (mRNA) to produce an immune response. The vaccine delivers molecules of antigen-encoding mRNA into immune cells, which use the designed mRNA as a blueprin ...

s ( BNT162b2,

mRNA-1273 The Moderna COVID19 vaccine ( INN: elasomeran), sold under the brand name Spikevax, is a COVID-19 vaccine developed by American company Moderna, the United States National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), and the Biomed ...

), are developed for

SARS-CoV-2 Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2) is a strain of coronavirus that causes COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019), the respiratory illness responsible for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The virus previously had a ...

infection; this new technology completed design, testing, and emergency approval in under one year.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Timeline of Immunology * History of immunology Medicine timelines Biology timelines