Traditional cell cycle analysis involves staining samples taken at random intervals. But these snapshots don't tell the whole story. To see exactly what takes place each and every millisecond, one would need to peer through a microscope without blinking for an entire day.
But now biologists have a new way to analyze the cell cycle and still have time to go out and grab a cup of coffee. Using advanced microscopy and fluorescent labeling techniques, William Sullivan, a professor of molecular, cell, and developmental biology at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC), has created high-tech movies that vividly reveal the microscopic processes inside living cells. Researchers can visualize genetic variations in real-time, a breakthrough that could one day help scientists rapidly screen potential anticancer drugs. Unlike slides, scientists can pause, rewind, or slow-down the movies to get an unprecedented look at cell cycle changes, frame by frame. "The movies ...
