Freund's adjuvant

Freund's adjuvant

noun \ˈfrȯin(d)z-, ˈfrȯin(t)s-\

Definition of FREUND'S ADJUVANT

: any of several oil and water emulsions that contain antigens and are used to stimulate antibody production in experimental animals

Biographical Note for FREUND'S ADJUVANT

Freund \ˈfrȯind\ , Jules Thomas (1890–1960), American immunologist. Freund was a pioneer in immunological research who developed basic laboratory methods that are now standard. He is known above all for his work on adjuvants that enhance the effectiveness of vaccines. In a 1944 article he discussed such adjuvants as paraffin oil, lanolin-like substances, and killed tubercle bacilli. Other areas of his research were the mechanisms of allergy, antibody formation, toxin-antitoxin reaction, tuberculosis, poliomyelitis, and malaria.