Crossed Bones

Cancers that spread to bones are often difficult to treat, but finding out how tumour and bone cells live side by side may help to heal osteolytic lesions – tears created in bone tissue as a tumour grows inside. Intravital microscopy watches as this lesion, in mouse bone, widens over several days. From blue to green to red – consecutive overlapping pictures show the fringe of the hole eaten away by bone resorption – when bone cells are broken down. This bone tissue was actually grown in a lab under a mouse’s skin, with a thin surface ideal for peering through. Treating the lesion with a chemical called zoledronic acid slows the bone’s deterioration – just as it does in human patients – but doesn’t stop the cancer growing. Using biological models like this, scientists can now test combinations of drugs that preserve the bone, while targeting the cancer cells inside.

Written by John Ankers

John Ankers

Writer

A former researcher in systems biology, John is now an online biology tutor and professional coach supporting the wellbeing of scientists and NHS professionals. He's writing, too, of course.

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• Image by Eleonora Dondossola and Peter Friedl, MD Anderson Cancer Center
• David H. Koch Center for Applied Research of Genitourinary Cancers, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
• Image copyright held by the original authors
• Research published in Science Translational Medicine, August 2018