WATCHING the immune system rev up in response to a tumour or attack the body’s own tissue may one day give doctors an edge in monitoring and treating disease.
A surge in immune cells can be a first sign of cancer, while a reduction is a clue that a treatment for autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis or lupus, is working. However, these cells are difficult to detect as they are dispersed throughout the body and do not show up using conventional imaging techniques.
To make them more visible, Owen Witte and colleagues at the University of California, Los Angeles,…
