|
Detecting cellular clues for cancer
|
|
Researchers have developed a new way to detect protein movements inside cells, which signal a variety of cellular changes such as those in cancer cell development. The method could help diagnose cancer in the future.
 |
Purdue researchers (from left) Chang Lu, Robert Geahlen and Jun Wang have developed a technique to detect movement of proteins within cells, important for cancer cell development. Geahlen holds the microchip through which cells are pumped. (Photo by Tom Campbell) |
By combining two distinct techniques, the technology can examine large numbers of cells individually, a feat not previously possible, says Chang Lu, a Purdue University assistant professor of agricultural and biological engineering.
Lu’s method uses two existing technologies: electroporation, which determines protein location, and flow cytometry, a technique capable of rapidly examining individual cells but blind to intracellular protein locations on its own. The Purdue technique, called “electroporative flow cytometry,” harnesses the discerning power of the first method with the speed of the second, says Robert Geahlen, a Purdue researcher in medicinal chemistry and molecular pharmacology.
“Protein translocations are involved in the activation of tumor cells,” he says. “Detecting these movements could help diagnose the type and stage of cancer in the future.”
|
