How much do you know and understand cells? Perhaps the answer is not as much since often we need a microscope to see them in action. But with the new technology developed by engineers over at Drexel University, it may be as simple as looking at them in big screens wearing 3D glasses.
In an article published in DrexelNow on Friday, October 3, a team of engineers led by Dr. Andrew Cohen, who works as an associate professor for the university's College of Engineering, developed a gear that is similar to one used in 3D gaming. Called LEVER, which stands for Lineage Editing and Validation, it is designed to "see" cells in action by keeping track of their movements and other activities such as replication and division.
According to Cohen, their new technology will be a great help for scientists who normally have to deal with a series of time-lapse images to study cells. This process is not only tedious but also leaves a lot of room for mistakes. With the LEVER 3D, users can already tag or identify the targeted cells by color coding them and observe them at the exact moment they replicate or divide. Most of all, they can properly observe how these cells react to one another and their environment through 3D animation using the same systems found in 3D gaming consoles and technology. They can also change their vantage points and zoom in and out.
The simplicity and flexibility of the technology will also allow researchers to work on more data with the same level of accuracy and better efficiency. Aside from cells, they can also see blood vessels.
LEVER 3D is a very important technology in that it can aid scientists in getting a more accurate and up-to-date cellular data, which can then be used for cancer and stem cell research.
Some scientists have already been using the software as part of the testing process. The team then hopes to make the software open source to allow more developers to enhance or customize it.
You can read more about the research in BMC Bioinformatics.