Opinion: Creating a Facebook for cell communication can help treat disease
Picture the immune system as a society of cells: diverse, interconnected, and dynamic, characterized by near-constant communication. Think Facebook, only at a greater magnitude and more complex.
Everyone, it seems, uses Facebook and LinkedIn these days. Social networking sites make it incredibly easy to find information about people. You can look up new acquaintances, professional contacts, even the author of this article to figure out who is worth connecting to and who might be trouble.
As a systems immunologist, I wish we had a Facebook for cells. Say you’ve encountered Dan in a tissue sample from a patient. He’s a and lives in the skin. Dan hangs out with Tess and Bess, from the lymphocyte group. Tess talks to Bess a lot, and every now and then gets her riled up. When this happens, the patient feels worse.
