Three-dimensional cancer organoids and spheroids are powerful models for studying tumor biology, but current imaging methods limit their full potential. In this study, researchers introduce an AI-enhanced optical coherence photoacoustic microscopy (OC-PAM) system that enables high-resolution, label-free, and longitudinal imaging of 3D cancer models. The technology promises more physiologically relevant cancer research and accelerated translation of advanced in vitro models into drug discovery and precision oncology.

Fundamental breakthroughs in the natural sciences are rare. Progress is usually made in small steps, with knowledge slowly accumulating as more pieces of the puzzle fall into place. Now, however, chemists at Saarland University have made a major breakthrough: they have synthesized a stable molecule that chemists worldwide have been seeking – unsuccessfully – for decades. Their discovery has now been published in Science.

Researchers at Arizona State University and their international colleagues have developed a device that cuts sample consumption by as much as 97% while still producing high-quality structural data. The technology could accelerate drug discovery by showing how medicines interact with their protein targets in real time and help engineers design better enzymes for industry and biotechnology. It may also enable deeper insights into disease, enable the study of rare proteins that are difficult to produce, and unlock the full potential of next-generation X-ray laser facilities without excessive sample waste.

Excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, polluted water, and increasingly strict environmental regulations are driving the search for materials that can efficiently trap pollutants at the molecular level. For more than two decades, this challenge has drawn scientific attention to metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) – highly advanced porous materials widely regarded as one of the most promising tools for tackling climate change and environmental pollution.