Disco

Cancer tissues are not uniform, and visualising where specific molecules and biomarkers are located within a cancer can provide insights as to where and when drugs might be used more effectively to target cancers and treat disease.

PhD student Sabrina has used fluorescent molecular labels and confocal microscopy to produce a ‘map’ of molecules within cancer cells in a small region of a tumour. This moving image takes us through a forest of shimmering lines, each representing the location of a specific molecule as visualised from side on.

Techniques like this that map spatial variability within tumours – so-called ‘spatial omics’ – are expected to be important in developing the next generation of diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for cancer.

SECOND PLACE | MOVING IMAGE CATEGORY

Music by Sadie Mustoe