Inside a tumor: Purple bacteria visualize 'big eaters'

(Helmholtz Zentrum M ü nchen - German Research Center for Environmental Health) A team of scientists from the Helmholtz Zentrum Muenchen, the Juelich Research Center, the Technical University of Munich and the Heinrich Heine University Duesseldorf has shown that harmless purple bacteria (Rhodobacter) are capable of visualizing heterogeneity in tumors. With the aid of optoacoustic imaging, the researchers used these microorganisms to visualize macrophages (Greek for 'big eaters'), that also play a role in tumor development. Their research findings have now been published in Nature Communications.
Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news