Expanded View

Microscopists strive for greater resolution – to pick out details as they zoom in further on life. But there are always limits, and cellular life often remains unseen inside tiny, seemingly 'invisible' ultrastructures. While some electron microscopes are up to the job, they're expensive, so here researchers try a different approach – rather than zooming in, why not stretch the cell? Blow it up, so its hidden details are easier to see, like the writing on a birthday balloon (although 20,000 times smaller). This new form of expansion microscopy embeds a human cancer cell in a cocktail of polymers which swell, stretching the cell while keeping some important features of cell division – chromosomes (highlighted in red) and spindle fibres (blue) in place. These techniques can be combined with more common confocal microscopes, allowing labs to examine elusive ultrastructure in healthy and diseased cells without the inflated costs.

Written by John Ankers

John Ankers

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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 Ons M’Saad
• Department of Cell Biology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
• Image copyright held by the original authors
• Research published in Nature Communications, July 2020