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Killing to Cure
10 November 2015

Killing to Cure

Transforming tumours into harmless tissue already sounds like a dream come true; yet, incredibly, a team of scientists may have found a way to go even further. Their research uses antibodies, proteins that recognise and bind to specific cellular targets, and are instrumental to immune defences, to alter the behaviour of cells. Applying this technique to cancer, they discovered an antibody that can convert leukaemia cells into natural killers, cells of the immune system that detect and eliminate ailing or cancerous cells. Pictured, a newly re-programmed killer (to the left) extends its cellular tendrils, or dendrites, to attack a cancerous cell; it will only target other malignant cells, leaving healthy tissue alone. Although still in the early stages of research, therapies based on this mechanism have the potential to completely eliminate cancerous tissue, as the harmful cells should either become cancer-killers, or be destroyed by them.

Written by Emmanuelle Briolat

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BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

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