Biomedical engineers at Duke University’s Pratt School of Engineering have captured three-dimensional images revealing microscopic changes to the inner workings of cells that occur at the earliest stages of cancer, suggesting a possible new method of disease detection.Their findings in animals also suggest that so-called multi-photon fluorescence microscopy—a technique that had generally been limited to the basic science laboratory—might also find use in the clinic.
“We were able to capture physiological information about tissue in a living and breathing animal in three dimensions,” said Nirmala Ramanujam, an associate professor of biomedical engineering. “We peered into individual cells in a very non-invasive way to see how things change as early cancer progresses.” The ability to examine live tissue is critical because tissue removal erases metabolic features that are hallmarks of cancer, added Melissa Skala, a former doctoral student in Ramanujam’s laboratory.
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Noelle dEstries
Noelle d'Estries, an early GO employee who took on the varied roles of Community Manager, green celebrity blogger, and more. She currently runs worstcookever.com GO entered Noelle's life in February 2007 while she was burning tires in her backyard. A phone call from the green gods at GO, burnt out the fires. Now, Noelle happily wears her GO sweatshirt while eating organic veggies and asking for paper, not plastic. A regular at the local farmer's market, Noelle shuns raking leaves and lawn maintenance, while making gourmet foods constantly. When not staring at her computer screen, she spends time with her equally attractive dog, Tessa, cat, Tim and lover Paul. She currently holds all three point records at RIT and could eat avocados and drink wine for the rest of her life.
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