SYDNEY, April 28 (Xinhua) A new type of specialized immune cells that maintain the health of breast ducts has been discovered using advanced imaging techniques, pointing to better understanding and treatment of breast cancer, according to a latest Australian research.

The immune cells help to keep breast tissue healthy by regulating a vital process within mammary ducts the sites where milk is produced and transported, but also where most breast cancers arise, the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research said in a statement on Tuesday.

The researchers used high-resolution 3D imaging to observe how the cells monitor threats in the mammary ducts and help maintain tissue health.

We discovered an entirely new population of specialized immune cells, which we named ductal macrophages, squeezed in between two layers of the mammary duct wall, institute researcher Caleb Dawson said.

We were excited to find that these cells play an essential role at a pivotal point in mammary gland function called involution when lactation stops, milk-producing cells die and breast tissue needs to remodel back to its original state, he said.

We watched incredulously as the star-shaped ductal macrophages probed with their arms and ate away dying cells. The clearing action performed by ductal macrophages helps redundant milk-producing structures to collapse, allowing them to successfully return to a resting state.

When the researchers later removed the specialized cells from the mammary ducts they discovered that no other immune cells were able to swiftly carry out the essential process, according to the institute. The findings were published in scientific journal Nature Cell Biology.

More than 19,000 Australians are diagnosed with breast cancer every year and it is the most common cancer in Australian women, according to the institute.

The researchers, going forward, hope to explore the function of ductal macrophages at different stages of mammary gland development, such as the transitions into adulthood and pregnancy, Dawson said. Enditem

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Immune cell type in breast ducts points to better treatment of breast cancer: Aussie research - Brinkwire