Cancer Deconstructed: Investigating the Role of Non-Cancerous Cells in a Lung Tumor

Cancer Deconstructed: Investigating the Role of Non-Cancerous Cells in a Lung Tumor

Collections: Image Award Winners, Cancer Discovery Science

2013 Award Winner

Vasilena Gocheva
Jacks Laboratory

Koch Institute at MIT, MIT Department of Biology

If you took apart a tumor, what would you find inside? There would be cancer cells, of course, but scientists are increasingly aware that a wide variety of “healthy” cells also reside in tumors and contribute to cancer progression. Here, MIT researchers have removed two cell types from a lung tumor: cancer cells (smaller) and fibroblasts (larger), which normally help to heal wounds in the body. By mapping out exactly what these non-cancerous cells are doing inside tumors and how they interact with cancer cells, the researchers hope to identify new ways of targeting and treating lung cancer.

Video

Vasilena Gocheva tells the story behind her award-winning image.

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