A New Type of Cell Movement Discovered

A new interesting topic that I learned from reading the Science Daily newsletter is that scientists from the University of Pennsylvania and National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research have recently discovered a new technique on how cells move in a three-dimensional matrix. According to the University of Pennsylvania, researchers for decades have studied cellular movement by using petri dishes. This method works, however our bodies cells are not two-dimensional, therefore there can be certain things that are not fully seen with only a 2-D options.

With petri dishes, scientists could visually see and study two-dimensional movements, which is way different than the new 3-D discovery. Many would think that these advances would have come sooner or that it is not that important because it’s just studying cells, but this is something to get excited about. Just think about the difference in a relation with movies. When watching a movie, such as Transformers, the three-dimensional effects where you feel like Optimus Prime is going to land in your lap, is how scientists feel when they focus in on a 3-D matrix. Hyun Koo, a professor in the Department of Orthodontics at Pennsylvania stated "We discovered that the nucleus can act as a piston that physically compartmentalizes the cell cytoplasm and increases the hydrostatic pressure driving the cell motility within a 3-D matrix." This means that scientists are now able to focus on a