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Tracking the spread of cancer cells - Photon02

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02.09.2002

Not much is known about how clustered cancer cells move, but it is important to understand how individual cancer cells break off from a cluster and spread throughout the human body. A research collaboration between the University of Wales College of Medicine and Kingston University * has lead to the development of a computational imaging technique that tracks the movement of individual cancer cells within cell clusters.

Dr Hoppe, a member of the research team from Kingston University, will be speaking at the Photon02 Conference, in Cardiff on Monday 2 September. He will describe how the research team used a customised microscope fitted with modulation contrast filters to make it easier to see the edges of a single cell. Using the microscope, they studied individual cells within clusters of human colon cancer cells.

The position and velocity of the individual cells was tracked and recorded using a newly developed mathematical computer programme. The programme draws each cell`s boundary on the first digital image and then moves it to the new location in each consecutive image. This is done at a faster rate than was previously possible. Over a two hour period the studied cells were found to have an average speed of 16 micrometres per hour, one micrometre is one millionth of a metre.

Cancer cells usually appear in clusters and there is a suggestion that cell-to-cell adhesions may restrict their mobility. The adhesions are thought to restrict movement in clustered cell populations. Dr Hoppe`s quantitative analysis method for measuring cell movement in clustered cells may therefore help researchers work out how much effect the cell-to-cell adhesion has. This may ultimately provide information about preventing cancer cells from detaching and spreading.

* The research is a collaboration between the Metastasis Research Group, part of the College of Medicine, at the University of Wales and the Digital Imaging Research Centre at Kingston University.

1. Photon02 is a conference about optics and photonics research and technology. It will run from 2 - 5 September 2002 at the Cardiff International Arena. Accredited journalists are welcome to free registration to attend this meeting. The Institute of Physics` Press Office is handling media arrangements for this meeting, please contact Dianne Stilwell, Public Relations Manager, tel +44 (0) 207 470 4875, email dianne.stilwell@iop.org, if you would like to attend. Information, registration and a programme can be found at http://www.photon02.co.uk.

2. For more information please contact Joanne Aslett, Press Officer, tel +44 (0)207 4704815, email joanne.aslett@iop.org. During the week of the conference tel +44 (0) 2920 234 761, fax +44 (0) 2920 234 764.

Joanne Aslett | Source: alphagalileo
Further information: www.photon02.co.uk

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