March 2016: New technique for visualising tissues that could aid diagnosis and treatment of diseases including cancer Scientists at the MRC Centre for Inflammation Research at The University of Edinburgh have devised a technique for visualising tissues that could aid diagnosis and treatment of diseases including cancer. The probes are made up of a peptide which recognises the target that researchers are trying to detect attached to a new type of fluorescent tag. Researchers can track this tag using microscopes to see where the target is being produced by the cell. Because the new probes are more sensitive than existing probes, researchers will be able to quantify exactly how much of the target is being produced by each cell. This will enable them to detect tiny changes in the molecular make-up of tissues that could be the early warning sign of a disease. Tracking these changes over time could also offer clues about how well a patient is responding to treatment. The study in the journal Nature Communications was funded by the Medical Research Council. Mendive-Tapia L, Zhao C, Akram AR, Preciado S, Albericio F, Lee M, Serrels A, Kielland N, Read ND, Lavilla R, Vendrell M. (2016) Spacer-free BODIPY fluorogens in antimicrobial peptides for direct imaging of fungal infection in human tissue. Nat Commun.;7:10940. doi: 10.1038/ncomms10940. PMID:26956772 Published paper in Nature Communications (PubMed website) This article was published on 2024-09-10
