SUMMARY
The immune system is responsible for protecting the body from invading pathogens and detecting aberrant cells that could lead to tumor formation. The adaptive immune response involves the interaction of cells that recognize a particular antigen in context with MHC molecules presented by antigen-presenting cells. This enables the immune system to discriminate between self and nonself. Also, memory cells are formed during adaptive immune responses, providing a quicker response to the antigen the next time it is encountered. Our increased understanding of the immune system has opened the way to many new and promising therapies in the treatment of cancer and tissue rejection.

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