#5-91E. Sensing the Speed of Change: The Discontinuity Theory of Immunity (Sci Immunol, 2016)

How does the immune system differentiate between activation and tolerance during antigenic challenge? This seminal perspective introduces the discontinuity theory of immunity, proposing that effector immune responses are triggered by rapid, sudden changes in antigen concentration, whereas continuous or slow stimulation induces immunological tolerance. While this conceptual model unifies immune checkpoints in cancer, chronic infections, and allergy desensitization, it remains primarily a theoretical framework requiring further quantitative validation across complex human immune kinetics. Understanding these temporal dynamics provides physicians with a novel paradigm to optimize immune checkpoint blockade and targeted tolerance-inducing therapies.

Citation: Thomas Pradeu, Eric Vivier. The discontinuity theory of immunity. Science Immunology. 2016.

URL: https://doi.org/10.1126/sciimmunol.aag0479

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