Edmond Alexander and Cynthia Turner

T Cell Activation and Tumor Attack, 2017

Digital illustration
Adobe Photoshop CS6

Alexander & Turner Medical Illustration Studio
Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, United States

This poster reveals how tumor cells produce antigens that are captured by antigenpresenting cells (APCs). The specific APCs that activate T cells are typically dendritic cells. T cells cannot recognize or respond to free soluble antigens, but they can recognize and respond to antigens that have been processed and presented by APC dendritic cells. Once T cells undergo activation, they proliferate and migrate to the tumor cells, releasing apoptosis-inducing proteins.