CHOICES FOLLOWING ANTIGEN ENTRY - ANTIBODY-FORMATION OR IMMUNOLOGICAL-TOLERANCE

The research briefly summarized here covers 38 years of work in cellul ar immunology, chiefly devoted to understanding how antigen subserves the antithetical functions of stimulating antibody formation and induc ing tolerance. The three interlocking themes running through the work are the development of methods to beat the problem of heterogeneity am ong lymphocytes by studying single cells and single clones; critical p ursuit of antigen-trapping patterns within lymphoid tissues and analys is of consequent cellular events; and construction of models of tolera nce that permit the detection of events subtler than direct purging of the B cell repertoire. One of the best features of this adventure has been its international character, the interaction with colleagues in many countries, and the influence that this work, despite its entirely fundamental character, has exerted in the practical world of preventi ve and clinical medicine.