Origin of an Adenoma
Origin of an Adenoma
Submitted by Arnout Schepers in the Bhatia Lab at the Koch Institute
Koch Institute at MIT, Institute of Medical Engineering and Science
"The image shows the origin of an adenoma, an early stage of intestinal cancer. We took this image to see if the cells that behave as stem cells in healthy intestinal epithelium are also responsible for growth and maintenance of a tumor. By switching the color of a specific cell within an adenoma, we were able to trace their progeny and confirm (cancer) stem cell function. The larger goal of our research is to find better ways to treat cancer. Determining which cells are responsible for tumor growth and learning more about them can provide new leads to develop new treatments."