Platelets are known for thwarting blood loss, but new research shows these simplified cells defend against microbes and perform other duties—and they're also drug targets in sepsis and other conditions.
Researchers are encouraged by results from initial safety trials of regulatory T cells in graft-versus-host disease and are embarking on trials testing their ability to fight type 1 diabetes and forestall rejection of transplanted kidneys.
Many scientists argue that the molecular platforms that sail on the cell's outer membrane, known as lipid rafts, either don't exist or have no biological relevance, but their supporters insist the idea remains afloat.
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