Now in our 13th year of bringing you beautiful imagery from biomedical science every day

Search the archive of over 4000 images

Candida Camera
15 August 2016

Candida Camera

The fungus Candida albicans is one of many microorganisms that can live in your body, mostly without any problems. However, under some circumstances it causes infections. These may sometimes lead to a condition called hyperplastic candidiasis where cells show excessive growth – accounting for most of the cells in this picture of a rat’s stomach lining. Hyperplastic candidiasis occasionally develops into squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), but how isn’t currently known. Researchers recently studied several tumour-suppressing genes in hyperplastic candidiasis and SCC. They found that some key genes were switched off early in cancer development. Curiously, others were switched on at various stages during the development of the cancer, even though the epigenetic signals – marks on the DNA that control which parts are switched on – showed that they should be off. Some of these genes are also associated with other cancers, so this could be relevant for those too.

Written by Esther Redhouse White

Search The Archive

Submit An Image

Follow on Tumblr

Follow on Instagram

What is BPoD?

BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

Read More

BPoD is also available in Catalan at www.bpod.cat with translations by the University of Valencia.