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T cells and brain cancer cell. The image is a composite colored scanning electron micrograph of T cells and an apoptotic brain cancer cell. T cells are a component of the body’s immune system. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy takes T cells from a cancer patient’s blood and modifies them to recognize a specific protein found on the patient’s tumor cells. When reintroduced into the patient, the T cells find and destroy the tumor cells. The newest form of CAR T-cell therapy, now in clinical trials, uses “memory” T cells, which remain in the body after attacking the cancer. The hope is that memory T cells may provide an active reservoir of cancer-killing cells capable of stopping further tumors. Magnification ×6000 at 10 cm wide. Source: Steve Gschmeissner/Science Photo Library.