19 Apr 2017 --- Scientists of the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH) have discovered a so far unknown molecular mechanism by which the human immune system activates its immune cells: T cells, a particular type of white blood cells, effectively ward off pathogens if a gene known as Gclc is expressed within them. The Gclc gene encodes a protein instrumental for the production of a substance called glutathione – a molecule that was previously known only to eliminate harmful waste products of metabolism such as reactive oxygen species and free radicals.