adjuvant meaning
adjuvant [ad′jəvənt] Etymology: L, ad + juvare, to help. 1 a substance, especially a drug, added to a prescription to assist in the action of the main ingredient. 2 (in immunology) a substance added to an antigen that enhances or modifies the antibody response to the antigen. 3 an additional treatment or therapy. Adjuvant This was a marked improvement over mice given the flu vaccine without an adjuvant or in formulations with other adjuvants. Compound that boosts effect of vaccines against HIV and flu discovered adjuvant a substance added to enhance a physical or chemical property, e.g. adjuvants are commonly added to ANTIGENS, improving the IMMUNE RESPONSE in the recipient and thus increasing the production of ANTIBODIES. adjuvant, n a substance that improves the effectiveness of a medicine or enhances the ability to produce an immune response. ad·ju·vant Immunology A substance that enhances or diversifies the immune response; a nonspecific immune enhancer—e.g., Freund’s adjuvant, BCG vaccine—consisting of particulate-rich oily substances which promotes protein aggregation; adjuvant mixed with an antigen acts as a tissue depot, slowly releasing antigen and activating the immune system. JVRS-100 is a cationic lipid-DNA complex that is being developed as an adjuvant to improve the effectiveness of existing vaccines and to develop new vaccines against a variety of infectious diseases. A multitude of TLR-dependent adjuvant candidates are in clinical development. 3. a nonspecific stimulator of the immune response. aluminum adjuvant an aluminum-containing compound, such as aluminum hydroxide or alum, that by combining with soluble antigen forms a precipitate; slow release of the antigen from the precipitate on injection causes prolonged, strong antibody response. The timing of the therapy determines whether it is adjuvant or neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Adjuvant chemotherapy is delivered after surgical removal of the tumor. Surgeons remove the entire tumor and a small portion of healthy, neighboring tissue to ensure all cancerous cells have been removed. The difference between adjuvant chemotherapy versus neoadjuvant chemotherapy is timing. Adjuvant chemotherapy is delivered after surgical removal of a tumor to prevent recurrence. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy is administered before surgery to shrink the tumor and make it easier to remove. slide 1 of 6. Adjuvant chemotherapy may be thought of as a means of sweeping any lingering cancer cells from the body to prevent recurrence. Adjuvant chemotherapy is used to prevent recurrence of a cancer that may have been completely removed during surgery, so it is difficult to determine if the therapy is effective. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy is administered before surgery to shrink the tumor and make it easier to remove. 1  slide 1 of 6. Adjuvant Chemotherapy Chemotherapy is intended to kill cancer cells. 2  slide 2 of 6. Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Neoadjuvant chemotherapy is delivered before surgery to shrink the tumor. 3  slide 3 of 6.
An adjuvant is a substance, especially a drug, added to a prescription to assist in the action of the main ingredient.