Editorial Illustration: Brain Tumour Immunology
Editorial/conceptual illustration depicting immune cell “warriors” patrolling a brain. Those who follow the correct path are able to locate a tumour and exit the bloodstream to attack it, while T cells that have left the path come up empty-handed.
Overview:
This playful illustration was created for Dr. Frank Winkler to catch attention and draw interest to his research. The illustration accompanies a recent research article describing the recruitment of T lymphocytes (immune cells) to melanoma brain tumours. The research shows that T cells in a specific type of blood vessel called peritumoral venous vessels (PVVs) are able to locate the tumour and exit the bloodstream to attack it where a specific chemical (ICAM-1) is expressed.
In the illustration, the T cells are depicted as little warriors seraching for their enemy, the tumour. Those who follow the correct path are able to locate the tumour and exit the bloodstream to attack, while T cells that have left the path come up empty-handed.
