A recent study revealed the possibility of distinguishing between healthy and cancerous cells by analyzing their movement pattern, without the need to use any dyes, with accuracy of up to 94%.
The results of this research contribute to a qualitative shift in the methods of distinguishing cells and understanding their behavior, which opens wide horizons for their application in the medical field, from early diagnosis of cancer, to studying wound healing mechanisms, understanding tissue growth, to developing new anti -cancer drugs.
The study was conducted by researchers from the University of Tokyo Metropolitan in Japan, published in the “Plos One” magazine, and was written by Yurrick Alert.
The traditional study of cells
Scientists and researchers have relied for centuries on the study of cells under a microscope, but most studies and diagnoses focus on the shape of cells, their contents, and their internal parts. But the cells are not fixed bodies, but rather dynamic living organisms that move and change constantly.
It can be used to follow the methods of cell movement accurately and analyze them by distinguishing cells whose function depends on cellular migration. Important examples of this are the spread of cancer (metastasis), as the movement of cancer cells allows them to spread in the body.
Many methods of studying cells usually resort to dyeing them with special materials to be clear under a microscope. But these substances may change the behavior of normal cells, as they are toxic and affect the survival of the cell.
The new discovery
To develop a way to track cell movement and determine whether or not, without the need to use dyes, the researchers conducted a comparison between healthy fibrous cells and malicious “vibrosaroma” cells, which are cancerous cells that arise from the fibrous connective tissue.
This was done using the legendary tabin microscope, which is one of the most common means to monitor cells, and is characterized by its ability to photograph cells without dyes, allowing them to move in the laboratory in a way that is closer to its normal state.
The researchers concluded that the cells move in ways that differ precisely. By analyzing the “total corners” (the curvature of the tracks), the frequent curvatures, and the speed of movement, they were able to predict whether the cell was cancerous or healthy with a precision of 94%.