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A 3D model of cancer was recently built by scientists in Cambridge, apart of CRUK (Cancer Research UK). It allows us new a whole new perspective on this group of 200 diseases. With 2D models, cancer cells are cultured on a flat monolayer, and they proliferate at a uniform rate across the surface (which is untrue biologically [i.e. cancer is uncontrolled]), however when 3D cultures were used, differential proliferation was observed, with it occurring more rapidly on the outer surface of the spheroid. This is much more of an accurate representation, and thus would lead to more scientifically-rigorous methods of drug testing which is needed, as an estimated 90% of all promising clinical drugs do not make it past trials, therefore wasting vast amounts of time, money and resources. An example of this would be that, growing cancers in 3D spheroids has shown an increased resistance to chemotherapy treatments compared to the same cancer grown on a monolayer, perhaps due to that the cells ...

Xenotransplantation is by definition, the process of grafting or transplanting organs or tissues between members of different species. In a world where there is a dire need for organs,tissues and other grafts, xenotransplantation could be the key to ensuring that there is no shortage, and no one dies waiting for a transplant. According to the NHS, in the UK alone there are 6137 people registered on the waiting list for a transplant, but there have only been a maximum of 4035 transplants received, giving a shortage of 2102. Globally, today, 100 people will receive a new organ, a chance to start their life anew. But 20 people will also die waiting. That is a staggering 7300 deaths per year, due to inaccessible resources. With xenotransplantation, you would expect to use organs from another member of the primate family e.g. chimpanzees, monkeys and baboons etc. due to their physological similarity and closely ancestral links. But the problem with this is that, since they are so s...

Tweezers with a tip less than 50 nanometres (0.0000005m) have been used to extract single molecules from living cells without destroying them. Prior to this, examining cellular contents required homogenenation, centrifugation and a complex staining process, all of which had a chance to introduce artefacts, and hide the true nature of the cell. This method also only provided the cellular makeup at the time of its death (i.e. when it was about to be homogenised). Using the nanotweezers to remove single molecules or organelles from individual cells whilst they are still alive, without damaging them, can provide us with vital information about insights into how healthy cells truly function, what happens when a cell becomes infected and more in depth analysis into cancer. How Do They Work? By using a technique called "dielectrophoresis",  polarisable particles can be attracted to a non uniform AC electric field. At the end of the tweezer are two electrodes made fro...

The basis of this article will be discussing the twisting questions:  " What is the True Colour of Something? ? and "Do All People See the Same Colour?" Before we discuss colour, we must have an understanding of how the eye works and how we perceive colour. To see something, a wave of light emitted from a source is reflected off of the desired object and enters our eye, through the cornea (transparent layer protecting the eye), through the pupil and it is refracted by the lens so that the light rays converge (meet) at the retina. The information from the light rays are then converted into electrical signals/nerve impulses which are carried to the brain via the optic nerve. The retina is packed with photo receptors, which detect light as a stimulus for the creation of a nerve impulse. These are called rods and cones. The cones are the cells responsible for daylight vision and respond to colour wavelengths of red, green and blue. The human eye only has a...