thymus gland

Cultural  

1. A gland located behind the breastbone that functions in the development of the immune system. The thymus is large in infancy and early childhood but begins to atrophy between ages eight and ten.

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Example Sentences

Plus a tweak: The donor pig’s thymus gland, which trains the immune system, was attached to the donated kidney in hopes that it would help Pisano’s body tolerate the new organ.

From Seattle Times

"The function of B cells in the thymus gland has been a mystery that has puzzled immunologists for many years," says Thomas Korn.

From Science Daily

To prevent these incidents of "friendly fire," T cells developing in the thymus gland need to first be educated to discriminate between the body's own proteins and those of foreign origin.

From Science Daily

A pig thymus gland—a source of immune cells—was also transplanted to help reduce the risk of immune rejection.

From Scientific American

The N.Y.U. procedure also calls for embedding the pig’s thymus gland, which is responsible for educating the immune system, underneath the outer layer of the new kidney to prevent an immune-system attack.

From New York Times