BPoD has moved!

BPoD has recently changed our domain name - we can now be found at bpod.org.uk

Please update your bookmarks!

Now in our 13th year of bringing you beautiful imagery from biomedical science every day

Search the archive of over 4000 images

Kill Thy Neighbour?
25 May 2012

Kill Thy Neighbour?

Patrolling our body, in search of diseased or foreign cells, is a crack squad of biological assassins known as natural killer (NK) cells. When they spot a sick cell, NK cells lock on, punch a hole and inject a payload of deadly enzyme-packed granules that kill within minutes. Using a new type of super-resolution microscope, and with laser ‘tweezers’ to manipulate the cells, researchers can now spy on the execution in greater detail than ever. Pictured is an NK cell (left) deciding whether its target cell (right) is dangerous. If deemed so, a ring-like tunnel will form (at the contact point dyed green) through which the toxic granules pass. NK cells play a prominent role in our immune system with duties that range from killing cancer cells to rejecting donor organs. In these scenarios, understanding the modus operandi of our natural killers is likely to aid development of new treatments.

Written by Kat Arney

Search The Archive

Submit An Image

Follow on Tumblr

Follow on Instagram

What is BPoD?

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.

Read More

BPoD is also available in Catalan at www.bpod.cat with translations by the University of Valencia.