Behind the Scenes - Killer T Cells and 'Cracking COVID'

These are real Killer T cells, imaged by Misty Jenkins, Kylie Luong and team at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute for Medical Research specifically for Cracking COVID. 

Killer T-cells patrol our bodies, hunting virus-infected cells. They attach to the surface of cells, scanning for signs of infection. When they detect that a cell is infected, they deliver a lethal hit, in the form of toxic proteins that get delivered to the diseased target cell. This causes the infected cell to undergo programmed cell death. Then the T cell then detaches and continues monitoring other potential targets as the T cells have the capacity to be serial killers. 

Misty Jenkins describes how these remarkable images were captured, what this resource means for the scientific community, and how having this imagery will enable scientists and the broader public better understand T Cells and how they work. 

To create these images, the T cells are cultured and labelled with a green dye that flashes bright when it recognises a diseased target cell. The T cells are then mixed with target cells in a small dish and placed on the stage of a microscope. Also in the media is a red dye that enters the diseased target cell once it has been ‘hit’ by the T cells. A camera takes an image every ten seconds and we stitch them together to make the moving image. 

Visualising the T cells delivering their toxic payload to the diseased cell can teach us a lot about the process. We can learn all sorts of things by studying the various parameters like how long the diseased target cell takes to die and how long the T cell takes to kill or by measuring how long the T cell stays attached to the target. All of these parameters can have a consequence for our immune system and tells us about how efficient the process is, like how many diseased targets can be killed by one T cell. 

Having this visualisation can help us design better treatments by knowing exactly how the immune cells can impact a target cell and how we can make the process more efficient. 

Cracking COVID premieres on ABC TV 8.30pm Tuesday 13th of July, 2021 (additional transmission ABC+ Sunday 18th July 9.30 pm).  Duration: 75 minutes.

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR MISTY JENKINS 

Misty Jenkins is a NHMRC fellow and laboratory head in the Immunology Division at Walter and Eliza Hall Institute for Medical Research, where she researches cellular immunology and cancer immunotherapy. Misty studied her PhD in Immunology at The University of Melbourne, followed by postdoctoral positions at The Universities of Cambridge and Oxford, and The Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne. Misty has a long-standing interest in CD8+ T cells and her research program researches the use of T cell immunotherapy for brain cancer. A/Prof Jenkins was awarded the L’Oreal for Women in Science Fellowship (2013), was Tall Poppy of the year (2015), was awarded the Westpac/Australian Financial Review Top100 Women of Influence award (2016). In addition to her research career, A/Prof Jenkins is experienced in governance and is a Board Director for Monash Health, Co-Chair of the Indigenous Health Medical Research Future Fund.