Dr. Anthony Harrelson is the CEO and Founder of White Oak Industries and, through his company, he hopes to produce vaccines for some of the world’s deadliest diseases. Among the diseases Dr. Anthony Harrelson is fighting is HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus. The name is telling, as HIV kills by destroying the host’s immune system. To understand what HIV does to the immune system, though, you must understand the system itself.
At the most basic level, your immune system functions and keeps you healthy because your body can recognize both itself and invaders, or anything that is not itself. When an invader enters your body – for example a parasite, bacteria or virus – your body uses several tactics to destroy it and to maintain your health.
The primary components of your immune system include your spleen, lymph nodes, thymus, lymphocytes and bone marrow Your spleen contains white blood cells that fight infection and disease, and it is also part of your lymph system, which contains small structures that store and produce disease-fighting cells. Your thymus is a small organ located behind your breastbone, and it allows T-cells (“T” for thymus) to mature – these T-cells are one of two primary types of defense cells, the other type is known as a B-cell. Finally, your bone marrow is responsible for making the white blood cells that become the T-cells that will eventually mature in your thymus; your bone marrow also makes B-cells and other lymphocytes.
Your T-cells are essential for signaling your immune system to respond to an intruder. When you are infected with HIV, though, the virus infects your T-cells. The infected T-cells are then activated by the HIV virus and they begin creating new viruses instead of doing their intended jobs. Dr. Anthony Harrelson hopes to develop a vaccine to prevent people from being infected with HIV.
At the most basic level, your immune system functions and keeps you healthy because your body can recognize both itself and invaders, or anything that is not itself. When an invader enters your body – for example a parasite, bacteria or virus – your body uses several tactics to destroy it and to maintain your health.
The primary components of your immune system include your spleen, lymph nodes, thymus, lymphocytes and bone marrow Your spleen contains white blood cells that fight infection and disease, and it is also part of your lymph system, which contains small structures that store and produce disease-fighting cells. Your thymus is a small organ located behind your breastbone, and it allows T-cells (“T” for thymus) to mature – these T-cells are one of two primary types of defense cells, the other type is known as a B-cell. Finally, your bone marrow is responsible for making the white blood cells that become the T-cells that will eventually mature in your thymus; your bone marrow also makes B-cells and other lymphocytes.
Your T-cells are essential for signaling your immune system to respond to an intruder. When you are infected with HIV, though, the virus infects your T-cells. The infected T-cells are then activated by the HIV virus and they begin creating new viruses instead of doing their intended jobs. Dr. Anthony Harrelson hopes to develop a vaccine to prevent people from being infected with HIV.