Analyzing cell migration history in vivo using fluorescent fibrillar collagen trails
Zhongming Chen, Branden S Moriarity, Paolo P Provenzano · 2026
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Description
Zhongming Chen and two colleagues present a 2026 method for reading the past paths of migrating cells inside living tissue. Watching cells move deep in the body over long periods is nearly impossible with ordinary live imaging.
Their trick is to engineer cells to release fluorescent protein fused to collagen, leaving glowing trails in the tissue as they travel. In mice, the team found trails in healthy organs, primary tumors, and sites where cancer had spread. Some trails ran together along blood vessel walls, hinting at group travel. Reading the trails after death reconstructs migration history that cameras could never capture.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Zhongming Chen, Branden S Moriarity, Paolo P Provenzano |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 43568 |
| LICENSE | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |