JERUSALEM, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Israeli researchers discovered that the bone marrow not only produces blood cells and platelets but also responds to inflammation and infection by accelerating the production of immune cells, the Israel Institute of Technology (Technion) said in a statement on Thursday.
The findings, published in the journal ACS Nano, may lead to the early diagnosis of diseases and the development of effective personalized treatments, the Technion added.
The researchers focused on inflammation, a complex immune response triggered by infection or tissue damage, involving the recruitment of various immune cells and molecules to the infection site.
To observe the creation of immune blood cells in the bone marrow, the team developed a new method using tiny iron oxide magnetic particles, tracked through imaging techniques.
In mouse experiments, the team found that the more intense the inflammation, the greater the formation of immune blood cells in the bone marrow.
The researchers noted that the bone is not merely a "cell factory," but as inflammation becomes more acute, it reacts by increasing the number of vital immune blood cells to respond to infection.
They stated that this is an effective tool that will enable more precise tracking of immune cells, allowing for early detection of inflammation based on monitoring the bone marrow.
