Posted Today Every tissue in the human body has an immune cell in it called a macrophage. Macrophages play important roles in the immune system’s initial response to bacteria, viruses and wounds. But beyond that, each tissue macrophage also has specialized functions, tuned to the needs of that particular tissue. For example, macrophages in the brain, called microglia, help support normal brain development....
Tag: <span>Macrophages</span>
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Discovery of long-lived macrophages in the intestine
New prospects in the fight against neurodegenerative conditions KU LEUVEN Macrophages are specialized immune cells that destroy bacteria and other harmful organisms. KU Leuven scientists, Belgium, have come to the surprising conclusion that some macrophages in the intestines of mice can survive for quite some time. Most importantly, these long-lived macrophages are vital for the...
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Single transplantation of therapeutic macrophages improves rare lung disease in mice
Hereditary pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (herPAP) is a rare disease characterized by the slow build-up of lipo-protein material in the lungs due to the failure of highly specialized cells called macrophages, which usually eat away this material from the pulmonary air-space. On August 9 in the journal Stem Cell Reports, researchers in Germany demonstrate that a single...
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Infographic: Macrophages Around the Body
MASSIVE CELL: Colored transmission electron micrograph of a macrophage cell, one of the largest cells in the body In the mid-1990s, while researching mice’s immune responses to nematode worms, immunoparasitologist Judi Allen of the University of Manchester spotted macrophages accumulating at the site of a multicellular parasite infection.1 This was unexpected, she told The Scientist; at the time, the...