Chemorepulsion

Chemorepulsion is the directional movement of a cell away from a substance. Of the two directional varieties of chemotaxis, chemoattraction has been studied to a much greater extent. Only recently have the key components of the chemorepulsive pathway been elucidated. The exact mechanism is still being investigated, and its constituents are currently being explored as likely candidates for immunotherapies.

The mechanism of the chemorepulsion of immune cells was first acknowledged by medical researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston in early 2002. The phenomenon was originally referred to as "reverse chemotaxis," and later, “fugetaxis” (derived from the Latin words fugere, to flee from; and taxis, movement). For a time, the words were used interchangeably before being replaced almost exclusively by “chemorepulsion.” While "chemorepulsion" applies to all cell types, the term "immunorepulsion" is gaining momentum as a more specific term that only applies to hematopoietic blood cell types that are involved in immune responses. Different cell types to which the term "immunorepulsion" could potentially be applied include: Myeloid lineage cells (monocytes, macrophages, neutrophils, basophils, eosinophils, erythrocytes, platelets, dendritic cells) and Lymphoid lineage cells (T-cells, B-cells, NK-cells).

The chemorepulsion of immune cells was first postulated a priori based on the established migratory behavior of cells evidenced in several naturally occurring physiological processes: the development of the Central Nervous System, the establishment of immune-privileged sites, and thymic emigration.

...
Wikipedia