3D images of tissue may help spot and treat cancer Three-
dimensional images of tissue samples could help spot cancer
early, say researchers. Scientists from the University of Leeds
have created a technique to generate hi-resolution, colour 3D
images of a piece of tissue. The images can be rotated on a
computer screen and examined from any angle. Cancer Research UK
said the technology could help researchers understand how cancer
grew and spread, and learn how to treat it more effectively. The
findings are published in the American Journal of Pathology.
Digital microscopy is not new - tissue scanning first appeared a
decade ago, replacing the conventional method of manually
cutting ultra-thin slices of tissue one by one to then examine
them under a microscope. But these scanners, which are now used
around the world, produce two-dimensional images, revealing only
one cross-section of that particular piece of tissue. And this
has drawbacks, according to Dr Derek Magee, one of the
researchers involved in the study