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Screening for Sprouts
08 November 2012

Screening for Sprouts

If cancer spreads from its original location to other parts of the body – a process called metastasis – the prognosis for the patient dramatically deteriorates. One of the first destinations for migrating cancer cells is the nearest lymph gland, and evidence suggests that tumours actually induce lymph vessels to sprout new branches towards them, helping the cancer cells escape. To search for the molecules that control such sprouting, and ways to stop it, scientists grow lymph cells (labelled red and green) on spherical beads (pictured) and observe the promotion or inhibition of branching limbs. Using this approach to screen a large number of chemicals, researchers discovered that cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins are potent inhibitors of lymph vessel sprouting. This suggests that not only are statins good for the blood, but they may possess a bonus metastasis-mitigating effect.

Written by Ruth Williams

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BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

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