Adaptive immune system

The adaptive immune system, sometimes called the acquired immune system, learns to destroy pathogens. Its ability to learn (for example from vaccines) in this way distinguishes it from the innate immune system. It works by first identifying "non-self", it then generates a response to the pathogen, and finally it develops a memory of that response to reuse in future.

The main components of the system are:


 * Antigen presentation
 * B cells (B lymphocytes, working in blood & lymph)
 * T cells (T lymphocytes, working within cells)

Rituximab
The cancer drug Rituximab targets CD20 receptors on B cells and so targets the adaptive immune system.

Learn more

 * Wikipedia - Adaptive immune system
 * Crash Course - The Immune System Part 2 (humoral immunity & B cells)
 * Crash Course - The Immune System Part 3 (cell-mediated immunity & T cells)