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T cell
noun
: any of several lymphocytes (such as a helper T cell) that differentiate in the thymus, possess highly specific cell-surface antigen receptors, and include some that control the initiation or suppression of cell-mediated and humoral immunity (as by the regulation of T and B cell maturation and proliferation) and others that lyse antigen-bearing cells : t lymphocyte
The immature lymphoid cell, in turn, can be processed into a B cell, which makes infection-fighting antibodies, or a T cell, which recognizes foreign tissue and virally infected cells and directs the activities of the rest of the immune system.—
Gina Kolata
T cells recognize antigen only in association with cell surface molecules encoded by the major histocompatibility complex …—
Miranda Robertson
see helper t cell, killer t cell compare b cell
Examples of T cell in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
That’s because the damage helps to lure in tumor-fighting T cells.
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Elie Dolgin, Ars Technica, 21 June 2024
The apotheosis of such work may be the development of chimeric antigen receptor T cell, or CAR-T, therapies, which debuted in 2017 and reengineer the body's own specialized immune system cells to combat cancers.
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Maryn McKenna, Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2020
The autoimmune shift is supported by data presented last December by a group of German scientists who used personalized T cells — CAR-T therapy — to induce complete remissions in 14 patients with severe autoimmune disease, including eight patients with lupus.
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Meghana Keshavan, STAT, 5 Apr. 2024
But over the last few years, researchers in Germany have begun testing the potential of CAR-T therapy — a cutting-edge cancer treatment in which a patient’s immune T cells are genetically modified in a lab to better attack disease targets — to help those with autoimmune disorders.
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Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 21 Feb. 2024
Evidence of Gene-Editing The lentiviral and enveloped delivery vectors successfully transformed a percentage of T cells into CAR-bearing T cells.
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William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 14 Feb. 2024
If these are from an invader, such as a virus, or show the cell is otherwise malfunctioning, this signals the immune system T cells to respond.2
The Role of Antigens
Antigens are immune response initiators.
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Angelica Bottaro, Verywell Health, 16 Jan. 2024
The acids, in turn, weakened the animals’ T cells — immune-system warriors that go rogue in autoimmune disorders.
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Kenneth Miller, Discover Magazine, 11 Dec. 2023
The treatment involves intravenous drips of the patient’s own T cells, reëngineered in a laboratory to bind with specific antigens on the surface of the patient’s cancer cells.
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Casey Cep, The New Yorker, 4 Dec. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'T cell.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
thymus-derived cell
First Known Use
1970, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near T cell
Cite this Entry
“T cell.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/T%20cell. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.
Kids Definition
T cell
noun
: any of the lymphocytes (as a helper T cell) that usually mature in the thymus and take an active part in immune responses compare b cell
Medical Definition
T cell
noun
: any of several lymphocytes (as a helper T cell) that differentiate in the thymus, possess highly specific cell-surface antigen receptors, and include some that control the initiation or suppression of cell-mediated and humoral immunity (as by the regulation of T and B cell maturation and proliferation) and others that lyse antigen-bearing cells
called also T lymphocyte
see cytotoxic t cell, helper t cell, suppressor t cell, t4 cellMore from Merriam-Webster on T cell
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about T cell
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