Scientists Discover How Tiny 'Hairs' Help Protect Lungs From Infections

Scientists have discovered a previously unrecognized way that human airways protect lungs from infection—through the action of cilia, tiny hair-like structures lining the respiratory tract.

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These structures are known to beat in a coordinated manner to sweep mucus and trapped particles toward the mouth along the epithelial surface that lines the airway.

However, new research indicates that they also generate fluid motion away from the epithelial surface, potentially enhancing the airway's protective barrier.

New experiments undertaken by Dr Erika Causa and coworkers in Professor Pietro Cicuta's group at the University of Cambridge, with mathematical modeling by Dr Debasish Das at the University of Strathclyde, show that ciliary motion generates not only lateral but also vertical flow, pushing fluid upward from the airway surface.