Casting NETs in the failing heart KU Leuven
White blood cells are essential for fighting infection using specific killing mechanisms. However, when these processes get activated in the absence of infection, this can cause disease. One of the ways that white blood cells try to fight infection is by sending out neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), ejecting their DNA lined with proteins that can kill bacteria. These same proteins also damage healthy blood vessels and cause them to ...