B cells are a central component of the adaptive immune system, responsible for recognising pathogens and producing antibodies that neutralise infections. Their development, activation and ...

The study, "A transcriptionally distinct subset of influenza-specific effector memory B cells predicts long-lived antibody responses to vaccination in humans,” was published in Immunity. “Our study ...

However, details of the intervening steps, as researchers have learned in the past 65 years, are quite complex — certain cells carry the flu antigen to the immune system, specific immune cells respond ...

At the surface, the immune response to a flu virus is simple. Some cells recognize the pathogen and send a signal to the immune system, and immune cells produce a potentially lifesaving antibody ...