Oliver Meckes and Nicole Ottawa

Natural Killer Cells Attacking Cancer Cells, 2018

Colored scanning electron photomicrograph
FEI Quanta 250 scanning electron microscope; capture magnification ~x1000; digital colorization

Eye of Science
Reutlingen, Germany

This image shows the reaction of an immune system where natural killer cells attack cancer cells when encountered. In the photomicrograph, two natural killer cells (red) are located on a cancer cell (olive) and destroy it. The apoptosis (cell death) is already in process, which can be seen on the bubble-like vesicles. A second cancer cell in the background had been attacked, too. It also proceeds to apoptosis and will fall apart into droplets.