In a recent study published in the journal Nature Medicine , researchers examine clinical glioblastoma and benign intracranial samples to determine the presence and function of immune cells in the brain. Study: Cranioencephalic functional lymphoid units in glioblastoma . Image Credit: Gorodenkoff / Shutterstock.
com The neuro-immune barrier Historically, the brain has been perceived as an ‘immune-privileged’ organ, in which little immunological activities occur within the brain. More recently, researchers have identified the presence of both innate and adaptive immune cells within the choroid plexus, meninges, and dural sinuses. The presence of immune cells at this interface between the central nervous system (CNS) and the rest of the body allows information to be transmitted from the brain through interstitial, cerebrospinal, and lymphatic fluids.
The disruption of the neuro-immune barrier may be implicated in malignant diseases, such as glioblastoma; however, immune checkpoint inhibitors have been associated with limited efficacy in treating glioblastomas. Systemic immunosuppression and intrinsic, adaptive, and acquired immunotherapy resistance may prevent these immunotherapies from successfully reaching brain tumors. About the study The present study examined immune cell populations present within cranial bone marrow samples to determine the prevalence and functions of these cells.
Clinical samples were obtained from patients diagnosed with grade four isocitrate dehydro.