AI Summary
Penn State researchers have developed an ultrasound imaging technique to continuously view macrophages in mammal tissue, which has potential for human application. Macrophages are important immune cells that regulate the immune response and can be used in therapies for various medical conditions.
Macrophages are little cells vital to the immune system and could possibly inform cell-based therapies for a variety of medical conditions. However, realizing the full potential of macrophage therapies relies on being able to see what these cellular allies are doing inside our bodies, and a team of Penn State researchers may have developed a way to watch them do their thing.
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. 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.”
Scott Medina, corresponding author, the William and Wendy Korb Early Career Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering
Macrophages regulate these two arms of the human immune response and help our body with functions such as fighting infections and tissue regeneration. On the flip side, they also help mediate inflammation related to injuries and diseases such as diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis. According to Medina, these cells could be harnessed and applied in therapies that would help patients with