T cells are a group of white blood corpuscles and are part of the body’s defense system. T cells are generated in the bone marrow and then move towards the thymus.

There, the defense cells are thoroughly trained for their imminent tasks as “killer cells”, “helper cells”, “memory cells” and “regulatory cells”.

When a body cell is infested with a pathogen, it carries fragments of the invader to the surface of its membrane, where they are identified by the immune system’s T cells. The T “killer” cells then have the task to kill the sick cell, and with it, the hostile intruder.

Through biochemical cues, the T “helper” cells activate other defense cells. For instance, they see to it that killer cells proliferate, and they assist in the production of defensive weapons.

The T “memory cells” are long-living and can even remember the hostile intruders later. If after a while they run into the same pathogen, they proliferate rapidly and mobilize the immune system quickly and efficiently. It is due to the memory cells that we are usually immune to illnesses that we have already had.

Regulatory T cells, sometimes also called suppressor T cells, stop all defense cells that would accidentally attack tissue of the own body.