Abstract
The concept of the immune system being able to recognise ‘foreign’ chemicals dates back to the early twentieth century. However, it was not generally understood until the early 1950s that an immune response could be generated not just against foreign antigens but also ‘self’ antigens. Macfarlane Burnet is known as the “Father of autoimmunity” since he founded the discipline and developed the clonal selection theory of forbidden clones. Peter Brian Medawar is known as the “Father of transplantation” for developing the concept of immunological tolerance. This article give a brief account of the origin and history of autoimmunity and autoimmune diseases.
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Acknowledgement
I am always greatful to my family members for their endless love, care and support. I acknowledge Prof. Fahim Khan and Prof. Waseem Siddiqui, distinguished faculty at the Aligarh Muslim University, India, for their good wishes, encouragement and motivation. Conflict of Interest: The author declares no conflict of interest.
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Haseeb Ahsan is a Professor of Biochemistry at the Faculty of Dentistry, Jamia Millia Islamia (A Central University), New Delhi. He is a recipient of numerous national and international awards and fellowships. His research interest includes nutritional biochemistry, biochemical pharmacology, molecular medicine, rheumatology and autoimmunity, clinical biochemistry. Dr. Ahsan has published more than 100 research articles and reviews in peer reviewed and indexed/abstracted journal of high quality and repute. He has more than 25 years of teaching and research experience in biomedical sciences involving undergraduate, postgraduate and doctorate students.
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Ahsan, H. A Brief History and Discovery of Autoimmunity. Reson 27, 2099–2105 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12045-022-1507-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12045-022-1507-y