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New research identifies which T cells patrol body
The blood is the main source of studies on the immune system, despite the fact that most diseases are combated by immune cells in the body’s tissues. A new study from Karolinska Institutet and the University of Pennsylvania has identified which immune cells patrol the human body’s tissues and circulate back into the blood. The study, which is published in Cell, shows that not all T cells do this – some are found mostly in the blood where they constitute a unique part of our immune system.
The white blood cells known as T cells are a key part of the immune system. To search the body on the hunt for infections, such as viruses and different forms of cancer, they migrate from the blood out into other tissues and back again, constantly recirculating.