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Lung Cubes
24 May 2016

Lung Cubes

Doctors often study tissue samples, or biopsies, to diagnose and treat diseases. Yet samples can be damaged by the lab techniques involved. Here researchers have perfected a method for embedding lung tissue in paraffin so it can be scanned in 3D harmlessly using a technique called micro–computed tomography. Comparing cubes of scanned tissue (ten times smaller than dice), it’s easy to spot differences between the healthy lung (left) and lung tissue warped by idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF, right). Here scar tissue (fibrosis) has built up in swirling knots known as fibrosis foci, making the IPF tissue look thicker in places. Adding a third dimension improves upon traditional 2D pictures (pictured on the top faces of these cubes) – revealing that fibrosis foci develop in multiple places at once. This may explain how IPF progresses quickly towards fatal respiratory failure, and will hopefully guide future treatments.

Written by John Ankers

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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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