Scientists capture video of 'killer' T-Cells fighting cancer cells inside the body

Researchers used state-of-the-art imaging techniques to capture the ruthless 'killer' T-cells at work.

Killer, or cytotoxic, T-cells are white blood cells with the specialised role of destroying tumour cells or cells that have been invaded by viruses.

WHAT IS A T-CELL? 

Cytotoxic T-cells are white blood cells with the specialised role of destroying tumour cells or cells that have been invaded by viruses.

One teaspoon full of blood might contain around five million T-cells, each measuring around 10 micrometres in length, or about a tenth of the width of a human hair. 

Professor Gillian Griffiths, director of Cambridge University's Institute for Medical Research, who led the study, said: 'Inside all of us lurks an army of serial killers whose primary function is to kill again and again.

'These cells patrol our bodies, identifying and destroying virally infected and cancer cells and they do so with remarkable precision and efficiency.'

One teaspoon full of blood might contain around five million T-cells, each measuring around 10 micrometres in length, or about a tenth of the width of a human hair.

In the video, the T-cells appear as orange or green amorphous blobs that move around rapidly, constantly investigating their environment.

When a killer T-cell finds a cancer cell (blue in the video), membrane 'fingers' explore its surface to confirm its identity. 

The T-cell then binds to the cancer cell and injects toxic proteins (red) down special pathways called microtubules to the interface where the two cells meet

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=43&v=ntk8XsxVDi0

The T-cell then punctures the surface of the cancer cell and delivers its deadly cargo. 

'In our bodies, where cells are packed together, it's essential that the T-cell focuses the lethal hit on its target, otherwise it will cause collateral damage to neighbouring, healthy cells,' said Prof Griffiths.

'Once the cytotoxins are injected into the cancer cells, its fate is sealed and we can watch as it withers and dies. 

'The T-cell then moves on, hungry to find another victim.' 

The researchers captured the footage through high-resolution 3D time-lapse multi-colour imaging, making use of both spinning disk confocal microscopy and lattice light sheet microscopy. 

These techniques involves capturing slices through an object and ‘stitching’ them together to provide the final 3D images across the whole cell. 

Using these approaches the researchers have managed to elucidate the order the events leading to delivery of the lethal hit from these serial killers.

The study by a joint team of British and US scientists is described in the journal Immunity.