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Tracking Cancer in 3-D, One Cell at a Time

Hoping to track cancer as it spreads cell-by-cell through the body, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory researchers have developed a way to shape high-resolution microscopy images into three-dimensional renditions of tissue such as mammary ducts. The result is a microscopic look at the molecular and genetic underpinnings of cancer on a glandular scale. The system, which couples a computer-assisted microscope to powerful visualization programs, stacks two-dimensional microscopy images into a lifelike structure packed with genes, hormone receptors, and proteins.