New technique helps isolate immune cells

Dental researchers at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) say they have developed a new way of isolating immune cells from the mouth which could make it much easier to study how such cells fight off disease.

Pushpa Pandiyan, assistant professor of biological sciences at the institution’s dental school, led the team which found a less invasive method of obtaining these rare cells, which respond to pathogens which enter the body to fight off infection.

Washing mouth tissue samples in saline and chemical solutions with antibiotics, then disintegrating them with enzymes and centrifuging the results, researchers managed to isolate the cells so they could be studied and grown.

Over 94 per cent of the cells obtained in this way survived for long enough to be studied, which the university says could potentially help scientists get a better understanding of how to treat and prevent oral health issues and other infectious diseases.

Research in this area has been difficult to carry out over the years, meaning that this particular type of immune cell is less well understood than others in areas like the stomach and intestines.

Immune cells usually need to be grown from blood samples if scientists are to learn about how they act at the site of an infection. But CWRU says Dr Pandiyan, who studies HIV-related oral disease, had realised there was no reliable approach that could help a single cell live long enough to be studied.

The findings are due to be presented early next month at the annual meeting of the American Association of Immunologists by Dr Pandiyan, who is lead author on the study. It has been published online in the journal Biological Procedures.

“This method will permit us to investigate the oral tissue immune cells more carefully,” the authors write.

If the technique was to become commonplace it could make a big difference to our ability to learn about treating and preventing a number of health problems. This will not just be limited to oral health issues such as oral cancer, but also extend to cardiovascular disease, AIDS and a host of other infectious conditions.