The conceptual foundations of innate immunity: Taking stock 30 years later

Thomas Pradeu (1, 2) , Bart P.H.J. Thomma (3) , Stephen Girardin (4) , Bruno Lemaitre (5)

1 ImmunoConcept - Immunology from Concept and Experiments to Translation
2 Chapman University
3 Universität zu Köln = University of Cologne
4 University of Toronto
5 EPFL - Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

While largely neglected over decades during which adaptive immunity captured most of the attention, innate immune mechanisms have now become central to our understanding of immunology. Innate immunity provides the first barrier to infection in vertebrates, and it is the sole mechanism of host defense in invertebrates and plants. Innate immunity also plays a critical role in maintaining homeostasis, shaping the microbiota, and in disease contexts such as cancer, neurodegeneration, metabolic syndromes, and aging. The emergence of the field of innate immunity has led to an expanded view of the immune system, which is no longer restricted to vertebrates and instead concerns all metazoans, plants, and even prokaryotes. The study of innate immunity has given rise to new concepts and language. Here, we review the history and definition of the core concepts of innate immunity, discussing their value and fruitfulness in the long run.

Domains: Innate immunity; History, Philosophy and Sociology of Sciences

Thomas Pradeu, Bart P.H.J. Thomma, Stephen Girardin, Bruno Lemaitre. The conceptual foundations of innate immunity: Taking stock 30 years later. Immunity, 2024, 57 (4), pp.613-631. ⟨10.1016/j.immuni.2024.03.007⟩. ⟨hal-04549343⟩