3D Medical Animation: Antibody Immune Response

 

 

This 3D medical animation shows how antibodies stop harmful pathogens
from attaching themselves to healthy cells in the blood stream. The
animation begins by showing normal red and white blood cells flowing
through the blood stream. Next, a single pathogen appears onscreen
slowly moving toward its destination on the surface of a cell. The
tubular extensions on the pathogen are surface proteins which attach to
corresponding surface proteins on a white blood cell, or leukocyte. As
the animation continues, more pathogens continue to attach to the white
blood cell, rendering it ineffective.

During the immune system response, Y-shaped antibodies begin attacking
the pathogen, binding to its surface proteins as the pathogen attempts
to anchor to the blood cell. The antibodies completely block the
pathogen from attaching to the blood cell, "tagging" the pathogen so
that one of the immune system's leaner cells, a macrophage, appears
onscreen to engulf and digest the pathogen.