Scientists from Maastricht University have developed a technique to map the different cell types and their location in tissues more precisely. This new microscopic method enables scientists to better understand disease processes such as arteriosclerosis and cancer. The first findings with this new technique have been published in the leading scientific journal Cell Metabolism.
Many different types of cells are involved in many disease processes. In order to understand how diseases develop, it is important to know which cell types make up tissues. Until recently, microscopic imaging allowed researchers to distinguish up to five cell types at the same time, by giving those containing certain substances a different color. UM scientists have developed a new method that simultaneously visualizes up to fifteen different cell types. To do this, they used a technique called multispectral microscopy. They look at cells like white light that passes through a prism and shows all the colors of the rainbow: the cells are not visible as a single color, but as a unique combination of different colors. In this way they observe more cells at the same time, and they know better which cell types certain tissues are made up of.
To communicate
The method of the Maastricht scientists can determine the location of each cell type in the tissue and shows which cell types are located in close proximity (called cell communities). Neighboring cells are known to influence each other: for example, inflammatory cells in tumor tissue counteract the defenses of tumor cells, with major negative consequences for the course of the disease. “We can now investigate how certain cell types communicate with each other and whether they are involved in the disease process,” explains UM researcher Pieter Goossens (Experimental Vascular Pathology). In addition, the researchers coupled their microscopy technique with an imaging technique (mass spectrometry imaging) of the M4I Institute. “This new method now allows researchers to map the molecular environment of the cells and its influence on their behaviour. That offers starting points for medical treatment.”
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