New Technology for Immunocytology Single Cell Research
The body's immune system is a very large, very dispersed, decentralized guard army. Despite the billions of well-divided immune cells that keep the body safe, it is difficult for us to clearly point out which immune cell is performing a task at a certain moment and somewhere. With the development of proteomics technology and genomics technology, researchers are also deepening their understanding of the human immune system. Studying the human immune system is a very large project, the amount of data generated by this work will be 100 billion times the amount of data in the Human Genome Project.
For decades, immunologists have relied on flow cytometry for immunological research and labeling and studying cells with different fluorescent tags. In the past 8 or 9 years, mass cytometry (also known as CyTOF) has emerged in this field. This technology mainly uses metal ions to mark cells. It gives researchers more information about immune responses to pathological conditions such as tumors, tuberculosis and malaria.
However, these techniques can only be a glimpse of the fur, and can not really understand the detailed work of T cells and B cells. According to Jennifer Sims, a molecular biologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, because these cells express unique protein molecules, such as T cell receptors and B cell receptors. they can also accurately identify specific targets and respond accordingly. And this series of physiological processes are still evolving. Immune cells are arguably the most "individual" cells in the body.
For decades, immunologists have relied on flow cytometry for immunological research and labeling and studying cells with different fluorescent tags. In the past 8 or 9 years, mass cytometry (also known as CyTOF) has emerged in this field. This technology mainly uses metal ions to mark cells. It gives researchers more information about immune responses to pathological conditions such as tumors, tuberculosis and malaria.
However, these techniques can only be a glimpse of the fur, and can not really understand the detailed work of T cells and B cells. According to Jennifer Sims, a molecular biologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, because these cells express unique protein molecules, such as T cell receptors and B cell receptors. they can also accurately identify specific targets and respond accordingly. And this series of physiological processes are still evolving. Immune cells are arguably the most "individual" cells in the body.
