Scientists label cells with coloured or glowing chemicals to observe how basic cellular activities differ between healthy and cancerous cells. Existing techniques for labelling cells are either too slow or too toxic to perform on live cells. Now, a study reviewed by Philip Dawson, a member of Faculty of 1000 Biology and leading authority in chemistry and cell biology, describes a novel labelling technique that uses a chemical reaction to make live cancer cells light up quickly and safely.
Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital developed a two-step process to specifically tag cancer cells. First, chemically modified antibodies home in on cancer cells. Then a chemical reaction called cycloaddition transfers a dye onto the antibody making the cancer cells glow when viewed through a microscope.
The novel cycloaddition reaction is fast, very specific, and requires minimal manipulation of the cells. Dawson comments that, in combining antibody binding with the cycloaddition, "low signal-to-noise ratios are achieved". This new labelling technique could be used to track the location and activity of anti-cancer drugs, the location of cancer-specific proteins within the cell, or to visualize cancer cells inside a living organism.
Dawson concludes that cycloaddition will allow scientists to observe live cancer cells in the body, leading to a better understanding of cancer's basic processes.
Media Contact
Steve Pogonowski
PR Manager
Faculty of 1000
+44 (0) 20 7631 9134
steve.pogonowski@f1000.com
Notes to Editors
1 Philip Dawson, Faculty Member for F1000 Biology, is Associate Professor in the Departments of Cell Biology and Chemistry at The Scripps Research Institute http://f1000biology.com/about/biography/1661615179297988
2 The full text of this article is available at http://f1000biology.com/article/nztqpbh7bsrf6vb/id/1164570
1 Please name Faculty of 1000 in any story you write. If you are writing for the web, please link to the website.
2 Faculty of 1000, http://f1000.com, is a unique online service that helps you stay informed of high impact articles and access the opinions of global leaders in biology. Our distinguished international faculty select and evaluate key articles across medicine, providing a rapidly updated, authoritative guide to the biomedical literature that matters.
3 Please contact Steve Pogonowski, PR Manager, for a complimentary journalist subscription to Faculty of 1000 http://f1000.com.