Welcome to your Immune System

Control the the "Craft":  This represents your immune system. Protect your cells by manoeuvring the craft and firing macrophages, Killer T cells, and Cytokine Storms to defend your cells.

• You can manouvre the Craft with your mouse and fire by clicking the left mouse button!

In real life: In real life, your immune system is not a single craft shooting down invaders but a complex network of elements that includes everything from skin, to saliver, white blood cells and a vast array of other weapons that protect you from infection.

Protect the cells: The 37 cells in the game are from your lungs so you should protect the cells at all costs! If one cell is infected, the bacteria can spread to nearby cells. The way to stop them spreading is to kill the cell with a Killer T cell or cytokine storm. .

In real life: Rather than just 37 cells to protect, your real immune system needs to protect perhaps 37 trillion complex cells, each with its own job, whether that be as a muscle, brain or heart cell. Mycobacteria are “intracellular”, which means they can invade the host cell and hide from the immune system. 

Stop the invaders: Mycobacteria tuberculosis (M.tb) are the bad guys! They enter the body and try to invade the cells. Use macrophages to kill them before they reach the cells! If they get through, you can only stop them by using “Killer T cells” to kill the infected cell or by using the nuclear option - a Cytokine Storm.

In real life: Mycobacteria tuberculosis (M.tb) is the species of bacteria that causes tuberculosis. They usually enter the body by inhalation into the lungs. M.tb are an “intracellular” bacteria, which means they can enter the cell and hide from the immune system. Sometimes, the immune system attacks these infected cells which can cause damage to the body.

Fire the macrophages!: This is your primary weapon against the mycobacteria invasion. Use macrophages to kill the bacteria before they reach the cells.

• Press the left mouse button to fire!

Beware: Some macrophages get infected and bacterium can replicate inside until the macrophage bursts, releasing even more bacteria.

In real-life: The word “macrophage” comes from the Greek – “Macro” meaning big and “phage” meaning eaters. 

These “big eaters” are white blood cells responsible for consuming dirt, dead cells, and invaders such as mycobacteria! A macrophage will surround and consume an invader and then try to destroy it.  

Just like in the game,  a macrophage can consumes a bacterium like M.tb but be unable to destroy it. The bacterium can happily exist and even replicate within the macrophage. Sometimes, these infected macrophages burst, releasing more dangerous bacteria!

Infected cell? Use a Sugical strike: The T cells act like a smart bomb that can target and can kill infected cells.

Press Q and then use the mouse select the cell you want to kill.

In real life: Killer T cells are a part of your immune system that target your own cells if they are infected. They connect with the cell and release molecules that kill it directly, or send a message that triggers “apoptosis” or cell death, essentially telling the cell to self-destruct!

The Nuclear Option!: If too many cells are infected you can use a cytokine storm to destroy multiple cells. Beware - A cytokine storm kills both infected and healthy cells!

• Press E and select the area of cells you want to bomb!

In real life: Cytokines are molecules that act as "messengers" and signal to the immune system if a cell is damaged or infected. In a “cytokine storm”, these molecules overreact, meaning that the immune system attacks and kills too many cells. Much of the damage caused by TB and other diseases can be due to the immune system overreacting like this.