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Histological Diagnostics I – two ends of the spectrum Microscopic Battlefields
20 April 2018

Microscopic Battlefields

The war against cancer and many other diseases is taking place on a microscopic battlefield. Successful diagnosis and treatment relies on being able to study the affected human tissue under a microscope, for example to determine whether the disease is spreading, or if a treatment is fighting it off. However, preparing tissue samples on microscope slides can be quite time and resource intensive. To help with this, scientists have developed a new inexpensive method of imaging fresh human tissue using ultraviolet light, called MUSE. It can produce high-resolution images of human tissue in minutes, without needing to use slides. MUSE was used to capture this image, which shows nerves (yellow) and fat cells (blue) in breast tissue. This simple technology has the potential to transform the way we do research, and ultimately help to make disease diagnosis quicker and more affordable in hospitals and labs when resources are limited.

Written by Gaëlle Coullon

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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.

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