Cellular Laboratory

The Cellular Laboratory

Summary

Science

Laboratory

Scientist

Laboratory

Immunodeficiency is diagnosed and monitored by looking at the frequency and function of important cells of the immune system. Scientists working in the cellular laboratory can investigate the number of cells by using a technique called flow cytometry. This technique uses artificially modified proteins, called monoclonal antibodies, labelled with different fluorescent dyes to specifically tag specialised cells that are important for healthy immune responses including T cells, B cells and Natural killer cells. Lasers are then used to identify the tagged cells based on the different fluorescent colours so providing us with actual numbers. Flow cytometry is also used to identify the large numbers of aberrant cancerous cells that arise in patients with Leukemia.

The other major area of immunodeficiency cellular investigation is measuring the functional competency of immune cells by making use of “In Vitro” experiments. These are a group of laboratory methods that artificially recreate biological processes outside of the body. Scientists can separate specific cells, such as T cells from a sample of blood and then incubate them at 37ºC (body temperature) with substances that are derived from pathogenic organisms. Using radioactive substances that are incorporated in newly dividing cells, cellular response can be measured by the total amount of radioactive substance integrated in the cellular population. An adaptation of this assay, called an ELISPOT, is used in the diagnosis of active or latent Tuberculosis (TB) infection by testing the ability of T cells to respond to molecules derived form the TB causing microorganism.

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