Feature Of The Week 10/21/12: Cell Death Detection by Quantitative Three-Dimensional Single-Cell Tomography

The aim of cancer therapies is mainly to stop cell proliferation or induce cell death. Cell death regulation is important for normal development and homeostasis. Cancer cells escape from death signals and continue their abnormal proliferation. Therefore, the ability to induce death in cancer cells has been a crucial biomarker for the efficacy of chemotherapeutic agents. However, individual cancer cells, even from the same population, vary greatly in their response to cell death stimuli. Measuring the response at the single-cell levels provide further pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics information, which aids drug development and regimen design. Developing a microscopic technology with non-invasive ...