Macrophages, small but essential cells in the immune system, hold promise for cell-based therapies in numerous health conditions. Unlocking the full potential of macrophage therapies depends on our ability to observe their activities within the body. Now, researchers from Penn State have potentially developed a method to monitor these cells in action.
In a study published in the journal Small, the Penn State researchers report a novel ultrasound imaging technique to view macrophages continuously in mammal tissue, with potential for human application in the future.
“A macrophage is a type of immune cell that is important in nearly every function of the immune system, from detecting and clearing pathogens to wound healing,” said corresponding author Scott Medina, the William and Wendy Korb Early Career Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering. “It is a component of the immune system that really bridges the two types of immunity: innate immunity, which responds to things very quickly but in a not very precise way, and adaptive immunity, which is much slower to come online but responds in a much more precise way.”
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