Related topics: cells , immune system
White blood cell
hideWhite blood cells (WBCs), or leukocytes (also spelled "leucocytes"), are cells of the immune system defending the body against both infectious disease and foreign materials. Five different and diverse types of leukocytes exist, but they are all produced and derived from a multipotent cell in the bone marrow known as a hematopoietic stem cell. Leukocytes are found throughout the body, including the blood and lymphatic system.
The number of leukocytes in the blood is often an indicator of disease. There are normally between 4×109 and 1.1×1010 white blood cells in a litre of blood, making up approximately 1% of blood in a healthy adult. An increase in the number of leukocytes over the upper limits is called leukocytosis, and in leukopenia, this number is much lower than the lower limit. The physical properties of leukocytes, such as volume, conductivity, and granularity, may change due to activation, the presence of immature cells, or the presence of malignant leukocytes in leukemia.
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News tagged with immune cells
Potential cancer drug may offer new hope for asthma patients
Dec 09, 2009 |
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A drug being tested to treat cancer could also help patients suffering from asthma, research has suggested.
Improving the odds:A new method for bone marrow transplantation
Dec 07, 2009 |
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Although bone marrow transplants have long been standard for acute leukemia, current treatments still rely on exact matches between donor and patient. Now, scientists at the University of Perugia, Italy, and the Weizmann ...
Good stress response enhances recovery from surgery, study shows
Dec 01, 2009 |
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The right kind of stress response in the operating room could lead to quicker recovery for patients after knee surgery, according to a new study led by Stanford University School of Medicine researchers. The results could ...
Stroke and heart disease trigger revealed in new research
Nov 30, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists have identified the trigger that leads to the arteries becoming damaged in the disease atherosclerosis, which causes heart attacks and strokes, in research published today in the ...
Study describes new tool in the fight against autoimmune diseases, blood cancers
Nov 30, 2009 |
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A study led by a Scripps Research Institute scientist describes a new, highly pragmatic approach to the identification of molecules that prevent a specific type of immune cells from attacking their host. The findings add ...
Pancreatic tumors are marked for immunotherapy
Nov 30, 2009 |
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Pancreatic tumors can be identified by a readily detectable marker that shows promise as a basis for immune therapy against the disease, according to research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
A reductionist approach to HIV research
Medicine & Health / HIV & AIDS
Nov 30, 2009 |
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A major obstacle to HIV research is the virus's exquisite specialisation for its human host - meaning that scientists' traditional tools, like the humble lab mouse, can deliver only limited information. Now, a team of researchers ...
HIV vaccine failure probably caused by virus used, says new research
Medicine & Health / HIV & AIDS
Nov 16, 2009 |
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The recent failure of an HIV vaccine was probably caused by the immune system reacting to the virus 'shell' used to transmit the therapy around the body, according to research published today in the Proceedings of the Na ...
Cross-country runabouts -- immune cells on the move
Nov 17, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- In order to effectively fight pathogens, even at remote areas of the human body, immune cells have to move quickly and in a flexible manner.
Death-inducing proteins key to complications of bone marrow transplantation
Dec 01, 2009 |
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Treatment for a number of cancers and other medical conditions is transplantation with bone marrow from a genetically nonidentical individual (a process known as allogeneic bone marrow transplantation [allo-BMT]).
Scientists guide immune cells with light and microparticles (w/ Video)
Nov 16, 2009 |
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A team led by Yale University scientists has developed a new approach to studying how immune cells chase down bacteria in our bodies. Their findings are described in the November 15 issue of Nature Methods Advanc ...
New findings suggest strategy to help generate HIV-neutralizing antibodies
Medicine & Health / HIV & AIDS
Nov 19, 2009 |
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New discoveries about anti-HIV antibodies may bring researchers a step closer to creating an effective HIV vaccine, according to a new paper co-authored by scientists at the Vaccine Research Center of the National Institute ...
Sweet -- sugared polymer a new weapon against allergies and asthma
Nov 19, 2009 |
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Scientists at Johns Hopkins and their colleagues have developed sugar-coated polymer strands that selectively kill off cells involved in triggering aggressive allergy and asthma attacks. Their advance is a significant step ...
