What is epitope?
Q. The term ‘epitope’ is related to- Published on 03 Nov 16a. Archaeology
b. Antigen and antibody
c. Literature
d. None of the above
ANSWER: Antigen and antibody
- An epitope, also known as antigenic determinant, is the part of an antigen that is recognized by the immune system, specifically by antibodies, B cells, or T cells. For example, the epitope is the specific piece of the antigen to which an antibody binds.
- Scientists have designed a new generation of universal flu vaccines that protects against majority of the known viral strains and help prevent future global pandemics that could kill millions.
- The components of this vaccine would be short flu virus fragments called epitopes - that are already known to be recognised by the immune system.
- Epitope-based vaccines aren't new, but most reports have no experimental validation. The researchers have turned the problem on its head and only use previously-tested epitopes.
