Revolutionary Approach Harnesses Body Cells for Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Treatment
Backpack-Mediated Anti-Inflammatory Macrophage Cell Therapy for the Treatment of Traumatic Brain Injury
Author: Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard – Contact: wyss.harvard.edu
Published: 2024/01/04
Peer-Reviewed: Yes – Publication Type: Experimental Study
Table of Contents: Summary – Main Article – About/Author
Synopsis: The new approach leverages macrophages, a type of white blood cell that can dial inflammation up or down in the body in response to infection and injury. Macrophages bearing microparticle backpacks reduce lesion size and inflammation at the site of brain injuries, mitigating damage More than a million people in the US suffer from a traumatic brain injury (TBI) every year, about 230,000 of them are hospitalized, and almost 70,000 die from TBI-related causes.
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Macrophages
Macrophages are a type of white blood cell of the innate immune system that engulf and digest pathogens, such as cancer cells, microbes, cellular debris, and foreign substances, which do not have proteins that are specific to healthy body cells on their surface. This process is called phagocytosis, which acts to defend the host against infection and injury. Macrophages are found in essentially all tissues, where they patrol for potential pathogens by amoeboid movement.