The University of Cambridge has released a new video showing a white blood cell hunting down and "killing" a cancer cell.
The dramatic video was released Tuesday, by the Cambridge Institute for Medical Research.
The video shows a type of white blood cell, called a cytotoxic T-cell, travelling through the blood stream. These T-cells are able to identify and destroy cancer cells.
"They patrol our bodies, identifying and destroying virally infected and cancer cells, and they do so with remarkable precision and efficiency," the video says.
About 50 seconds into the video, the T-cell is shown coming into contact with a cancer cell. The T-cell examines the surface of the cell to check for any signs of cancer. It then punctures the surface of the cancer cell and delivers cytotoxic poisons in a controlled manner.
"This is very important in our bodies where cells are packed together, as it focuses the lethal hit on the target and limits collateral damage to the neighbouring healthy cells," the video says.
After the cancer cell is killed, the T-cell moves on to find another "victim."
According to the video, there are about 5 million T-cells in a teaspoon of human blood.
