Immunology is a Fascinating Area

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How the Human Immune System Works!!!!

The Enemy

Think of your body as an isolated fortress that is constantly under attack from hostile foreign armies of viruses, bacteria and parasites. These germs want to invade your body to use its resources for their own purpose,  potentially harming you in the process.  The term ‘foreign’  is  often  used  by scientists  to describe invading germs  or  other substances not normally found in your body. In addition to the enemy being anything that is not us, such as germs, it can also be things that are no longer us, as happens in cancer.

Germs and cancer have substances on their outer surfaces that are not normally found in the human body. These foreign substances, called antigens, raise an alarm that causes the immune system to react.  The true power of our immune system comes from its ability to ‘remember’  invading germs  that  it  has fought  in the past and is therefore able to strike more quickly if they attack again. When this happens, the body is said to have immunity.

The immune system is much better at recognising and attacking germs than cancer because cancer cells originate from within the body and are often not seen as foreign. This is thought  to  be  why cancers are often able to grow,  despite  the  presence  of  a  healthy, working immune system.  So instead of thinking as cancer cells as an invading army, they could be considered as more like traitors operating from within.

The Defence Force

The response to antigens is a highly coordinated process that uses the many types of cells of the immune system to defend,  attack,  control  and provide long-term security  against future invasion.  Immune cells are white blood cells  that are produced in large quantities  in the bone marrow. There are a wide variety of immune cell types, the most important of which is the CD4+ T helper cells.

The General and the Assassins

The CD4+ T helper cell acts as a General, directing the other immune cells in the tasks they have to perform. The primary role of CD4+ T helper cells is to trigger the activation  of B cells and killer T cells.  The command centres for this information transfer are the lymph nodes and spleen.

In response to specific commands from CD4+ T cells, B cells release special proteins  called antibodies that act like smart bombs, specifically targeting a particular intruder   and marking it for destruction.

The assassins of the immune system are the cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) and natural killer T cells (NKT). Upon instruction from CD4+ T cells, these killer cells will seek out  and attack cells of the body infected with viruses or cancer cells. When these killer cells come into contact with foreign or cancerous cells, they give off substances that destroy them.

Another important role of the General is to stimulate the activity of regulatory T cells. These cells act as ‘brakes’  to  help  keep the immune system in check.  Autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis can arise when these cells do not work correctly.

Sometimes the General can get it wrong and mistakenly direct immune responses    against harmless substances  such  as  pollen  or certain foods,  resulting in the diseases asthma and allergy. At the Malaghan Institute we have research programmes dedicated    to understanding  how and why  this happens,  so that we can apply this information    to the development of effective therapies for the treatment of these diseases.

The Aides

T cells need help to recognise and respond to germs, so like a General in his war room,   the CD4 T cell must rely on his aides to provide him with the who, what, and where of potential threats.

The most powerful aides are a rare group of immune cells called dendritic cells, which patrol the body like sentinels, alerting the immune system to germs and potential threats. If the dendritic cell comes into contact with a foreign invader or cancer cell,  it captures it and travels to the nearest lymph node command centre to present its captive to the CD4 T cells. The CD4 T cell will then process this information and decide on the appropriate course of action.

Dendritic cells form the basis of cancer vaccines being developed at the Malaghan Institute to treat cancers such as glioblastoma multiforme (brain tumour) and melanoma.  Also The dendritic cell vaccines are generated from a patient’s own dendritic cells and tumour tissue and  are  designed  to  stimulate  the  patient’s killer T cells  to  seek  out  and  destroy  their cancer. Cancer immunotherapy ..is emerging as one of the most promising alternative approaches to cancer treatment and has the advantage of minimal side effects to the individuals being treated.

The Enlisted Followers

Other key contributors to the immune response are neutrophils, macrophages, basophils, mast cells and eosinophils, which travel throughout the body in pursuit of invading germs and either devour any foreign invaders they come into contact with, or release substances that kill them.

This is just a glimpse of our immune system and the intricate ways in which its parts interact. Immunology is a fascinating area that still holds many secrets, which our scientists are working hard to discover.

Every second of your life you are under attack. Bacteria, viruses, spores and more        living stuff wants to enter your body and use its resources for itself.  The immune system  is a powerful army of cells that fights like a T-Rex  on speed  and sacrifices  itself for your survival. Without it you would die in no time. This sounds simple, however, the reality is complex, beautiful and just awesome. An animation of the immune system. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQGOcOUBi6s

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/31/health/harnessing-the-immune-system-to-fight-cancer.html?_r=1

https://www.mskcc.org/immunotherapy-msk

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