Washington [USA], Jul 25 (ANI): Researchers have identified a unique immune gene that reverses human eye disease. The research, which is reported in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, completely rewrites our understanding of the immune cell landscape in the cornea of ​​a healthy human eye. It expanded on the team's first study showing that T cells protect against viruses in mice, which was published last year in Cell Reports. Associate Professor Laura Downie from the University of Melbourne, Dr Holly Chinnery from the Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences and Professor Scott Mueller from the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the Doherty Institute worked together to lead a team of researchers on the project. "By combining our newly developed imaging technique with other advanced analytical approaches, we were able to discover that a significant number of cells on the surface of the healthy cornea are in fact T cells," Professor Mueller said. “Until now, these cells were misclassified as dendritic cells based on static imaging. This completely changes the current theory in the field that only dendritic cells are present in the healthy cornea.  Associate Professor Downie said the ability to capture the normal behavior of cells in the inflammatory response provides a unique understanding of the immune response in the eye. "Using our non-invasive imaging technique, which we call functional in vivo confocal microscopy (Fun-IVCM), we can see that these T cells are moving quickly and interacting with other cells in the nerves and the upper surface of the cornea. "We have also captured a variety of cellular factors in response to lens contact and allergic eye disease, and elucidated how these behaviors can be modulated by drug therapy," Associate Professor Downie said. "These findings are reshaping our understanding of the different components of immune cells in the human cornea and how they react to different stimuli. Using Fun-IVCM, we can gain rapid, real-time insight into the cellular immune response in a living human, and the surrounding tissue is accessible.  Dr Chinnery said the new research would have huge implications for the health and prevention sector, including for patients and practitioners. "Since this new method involves non-destructive real-time imaging of the human cornea, Fun-IVCM can be used directly in the clinic to assess the immune response and eye health. "It can be used for overall immune system health," said Dr. Chinery. "Modification of T cells and behavior can be used as a therapeutic agent for disease and to aid in treatment."