How do cells travel inside the human body? How do they know which way to go? Scientists from the U.K sought to answer these questions by conducting this study, which was published in the journal Science.
When the body is injured, such as being poked with a needle, the immune system responds by sending white blood cells to kill any bacteria that might be trying to enter through the wound. But how do the cells know how to find the wound? Prior research has shown that cells use chemicals in the body known as chemoattractants to navigate short distances. White blood cells can sense and move toward them—but it only works for short distances. In this new effort, the researchers found that cells can use such chemoattractants in a different way to navigate longer and more complicated pathways.
Know more about this study over at PHYS.org.
(Image Credit: Luke Tweedy, Michele Zagnoni, Cancer Research UK/ PHYS.org)