Painting Tumors

A new technique coats cancers for easy identification

Medical Image: Olson Laboratory-Cancer Research Journal

Images on paint can display on the left, a cancer free mouse; image on right illustrates how the tumor paint shows cancerous cells even after the cancerous organ has been removed.

When treating cancer with surgery, there's nothing as important as making sure that every last bit of the disease has been removed. That's not always possible, since tumors have nasty habits of embedding themselves within healthy tissue and of breaking away and spreading malignancies to other parts of the body. But Researchers at Seattle's Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have come up with an innovative way of giving surgeons the upper hand against these wily tumors. They have created a molecular "paint" that coats cancer cells so doctors can see the wayward cells that they may otherwise miss.

The paint is...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!