The world is not flat: Exploring cells and tissues in three dimensions
Tuesday, October 19, 2010 - 10:00
in Biology & Nature
The cells and tissues in our bodies grow, develop and interact in a highly complex, three-dimensional world. Likewise, the various microbial pathogens that invade our bodies and cause infectious disease interact with this complex 3-D tissue milieu. Yet the methods of culturing and studying human cells have traditionally been carried out in two dimensions on flat impermeable surfaces. While such 2-D culturing and modeling efforts have produced a steady stream of critical insight into cell behavior and the mechanisms of infection and disease, 2-D cell cultures have key limitations in terms of accurately reproducing the tissue environment in vivo, that is, the environment found within a living organism.