Immune response

The body’s response to ‘foreign’ material.

Immunosuppressive therapy

The use of chemicals to suppress the production of an immune response by the immune system. Used in autoimmune conditions

In-frame mutation

A mutation which does not alter the reading frame of a gene. These types of mutations are normally associated with milder symptoms of a condition (such as Becker muscular dystrophy) because they usually allow for the production of a shorter version of the protein. See also out-of frame mutation.

Inheritance

The acquisition of characteristics from a parent or ancestor.

Intron

The part of a gene which does not code for information essential to protein production.