Zincfinger
August 5, 2011Scientific Myopia
August 14, 2011
Scientists have developed the technology to analyse gene expression in hundreds of individual cells in parallel.
Technical details: it uses microfluidic devices to integrate single-cell processing and RT-PCR (reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction).
Dr. Hansen foresees the technology will have widespread applciations in fields ranging from stem cell research and cancer biology to diagnostics. “This technology, and other approaches like it, could radically change the way we do both basic and applied biomedical research, and would make single-cell analysis a more plausible option for treating patients—allowing clinicians to distinguish various cancers from one another and tailor their treatments accordingly.”
The cell itself was discovered less than 400 years ago, that all complex organisms are made of cells and these cells have a nucleus less than 200 years ago. You’ve got to love science.
