The Science behind “Cells at Work!” Episode 9: “Thymocytes”

In this episode, we go back into memory lane and watch the origins of Killer T Cell and Helper T Cell in the thymus.

In this episode, Killer T Cell trains a group of Naïve T Cells while Helper T Cell and Regulatory T Cell work in the office. However, when Killer T Cell throws Naïve T Cell which hits Helper T Cell, Killer T Cell and Helper T Cell argue with each other. In the meantime, Dendritic Cell tells a story to Naïve T Cells on how Killer T Cell and Helper T Cell met while they were thymocytes in the thymus. While Helper T Cell easily passes the training exercises, Killer T Cell barely manages to keep up. With the advice of Helper T Cell; however, Killer T Cell manages to pass his final exam. Before leaving the thymus, Killer T Cell and Helper T Cell make promises to each other, with the former vowing to get stronger and the latter deciding to become a commander to coordinate other immune cells.

How do T cells really develop in the thymus? Join us as we go inside the thymus to describe what thymocytes go through to become mature T cells.

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The Science behind “Cells at Work!” Episode 8: “Blood Circulation”

In this blog post, we follow Red Blood Cell’s journey through the human body to deliver oxygen to cells.

In this episode, Red Blood Cell, after realising that she is not a junior cell anymore, is determined to deliver oxygen to cells by herself without getting lost or relying on other people. We follow Red Blood Cell’s journey as she travels through the veins and heart to the lungs to drop off the carbon dioxide. Picking up oxygen from the lungs, she then travels downwards through the heart and arteries to deliver oxygen to cells. Unbeknownst to her, Neutrophil follows her, ensuring that she does not get lost, drop her notes or get killed by bacteria. Thanks to Neutrophil, Red Blood Cell manages to safely go around the human body by herself which she talks about to Neutrophil.

How does blood circulation work in real-life? Join us as we learn more about the cardiovascular system and its importance in sustaining cells around the human body.

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The Science behind “Cells at Work!” Episode 7: “Cancer Cells”

In this episode, we look at how cancer cells arise and devastate the human body and how the immune system keeps cancer in check.

Over one and a half episodes, Neutrophil, Killer T Cell and NK Cell battle against Cancer Cell. It all starts when, after killing a cancer cell, they are escorted by a normal cell to an abandoned building. Neutrophil and Killer T Cell explore the building, where they find cancer cells endlessly proliferating, not following the normal proliferation program. Meanwhile, NK Cell takes the normal cell aside where she reveals that he is really Cancer Cell. The white blood cells are bombarded by cancer cells and are beaten up by Cancer Cell as the building collapses. They are saved; however, by immune cells brought together by Red Blood Cell to kill the cancer cells, ending the threat.

What is cancer and how does the immune system prevent cancers from growing and spreading? Find out as we delve deeper into the topic of cancer.

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The Science behind “Cells at Work!” Episode 6: “Erythroblasts and Myelocytes”

In this episode, we’ll look at how red blood cells and neutrophils develop from erythroblasts and myelocytes respectively.

In one half of episode 6, Red Blood Cell gets lost once again. This time, she stumbles across the bone marrow where she was born and raised. She remembers back to the time when she was an Erythroblast. One time, she gets lost while running away from a neutrophil pretending to be a bacterium. Separated from the other erythroblasts, she is captured by a real Pseudomonas bacterium. Just as she is about to be killed, Myelocyte appears and tries to fight the bacterium without success. However, this buys time for Macrophage and Neutrophil to arrive and kill the bacterium. Erythroblast thanks Myelocyte for saving her before they part ways.

This blog post will not focus on bone marrow infections as they are relatively rare, save for an open fracture of the bone. Instead, we will focus on how red and white blood cells develop in the bone marrow.

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The Science behind “Cells at Work!” Episode 5: “Cedar Pollen Allergy”

In this episode, we look at how the body responds to harmless environmental allergens.

In this episode, the body is invaded by cedar pollen which harmlessly and mindlessly wander around, scaring the cells. While Memory Cell recalls a legend describing how the Meteors of Disaster (i.e., pollen) will devastate the human body, Plasma Cell eliminates the pollen with IgE antibody. The increased IgE concentrations prompt Mast Cell to release a huge amount of histamine which drowns the cells and devastates the human body. While Plasma Cell and Mast Cell butt heads, Red Blood Cell rolls an unknown package. Inside the package is a robot which proceeds to blast the cells away and destroy the surrounding environment to suppress the allergic response. After the robot runs out of power, the cells emerge out of the wreckage and forgive Plasma Cell and Mast Cell.

How would an allergy happen in real life? Read on as we look at how allergies develop and how they can be suppressed.

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