University of Melbourne researchers have found that T cells, not dendritic cells as previously believed, act as the sentinels protecting the healthy human cornea from pathogens and inflammation. The discovery, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal, challenges existing knowledge about the immune cell landscape in the cornea. The research team, led by Associate Professor Laura Downie, Dr. Holly Chinnery, and Professor Scott Mueller, developed a new imaging technique called Functional In Vivo Confocal Microscopy (Fun-IVCM) to study the cornea. The imaging approach allowed them to observe T cells in action, interacting with other cells and nerves on the cornea’s outermost layer. This breakthrough has significant implications for the medical and immunology fields, potentially enabling non-invasive assessment of immune responses and ocular health in clinics and acting as a biomarker for disease and treatment effectiveness.
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New Discovery in How a Healthy Eye Protects Itself
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