mitosis Archives

X-ray ptychography: Seeing chromosome abnormalities in a new light

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Ian Robinson has investigated the masses of irradiated metaphase chromosomes using a novel method called X-ray ptychography

Chromosome abnormalities have profound health consequences including trisomy and cancer. Karyotyping (the visualisation of the complete set of chromosomes by shape and size) is an initial step towards identification of chromosome aberrations and disease. Other chromosome imaging methods such as fluorescent in situ hybridisation (FISH) rely on sample preparation or fluorescent markers, which may or may not alter the sample. […]

Unravelling the secrets of the cell with suspended microchannel resonators

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Researchers can learn much about the properties of many materials simply by weighing them. In cell biology, repeatedly measuring the mass of a cell reveals how fast the cell grows. However, this is very challenging: the mass of a single-cell is extremely difficult to measure with enough accuracy and without perturbing the cell. The laboratory of Dr Scott Manalis at […]

A hitherto unseen matrix involved in cell division is revealed

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Cell division has been fascinating researchers for decades. This process could not occur without the spindle to organise the chromosomes neatly in two sets, one for each daughter cell. It’s commonly accepted that the spindle is formed by a series of filaments that puts chromosomes into place, but there may be more to it than that. This is certainly the […]