A part of the spleen during chronic viral infection. Dendritic cells are green, Killer T cells are red, B cells are blue and stromal cells are magenta. (Image: Team Wolfgang Kastenmüller / Universität Würzburg)
A part of the spleen during chronic viral infection. Dendritic cells are green, Killer T cells are red, B cells are blue and stromal cells are magenta. (Image: Team Wolfgang Kastenmüller / Universität Würzburg) The presence of sentinel immune cells is vital to maintain and regulate the balance of the body's immune response. Researchers have discovered an essential role of these cells in the treatment of cancer and severe viral infections. Chronic viral infections and cancers can cause a permanent impairment to the immune system, reducing the ability of immune killer T cells to remove tumour cells, or those infected by a virus - this is referred to as 'immune exhaustion'. Blocking immune exhaustion through drugs, such as checkpoint inhibitors, has proven to be a very powerful therapy for some cancers, but these immunotherapies do not always work and may cause severe side-effects. German-australian cooperation.
TO READ THIS ARTICLE, CREATE YOUR ACCOUNT
And extend your reading, free of charge and with no commitment.
