Here’s another extraordinary movie, taken from:
A. A. Cohen, N. Geva-Zatorsky, E. Eden, M. Frenkel-Morgenstern, I. Issaeva, A. Sigal, R. Milo, C. Cohen-Saidon, Y. Liron, Z. Kam, L. Cohen, T. Danon, N. Perzov, U. Alon (2008). Dynamic Proteomics of Individual Cancer Cells in Response to a Drug Science DOI: 10.1126/science.1160165

This shows cancer cells responding to a drug used in chemotherapy (camptothecin).  The drug kills many, though not all, of the cells; the paper is aimed at finding correlates between various cellular proteins, and the cells’ ability to survive.  But the move here can be interpreted more simply.  We see the cancer cells, untreated for 24 hours, rapidly dividing and squirming around.  (There are lots of clear examples of cells dividing; for example,  a little bit toward 7:00 from center, at 5 hours; and just below center, at 19 hours.). At 24 hours, the drug is added; within another 12 hours, the cells slow down, and around 48 hours we see them starting to die (dead and dying cells are helpfully boxed).  




 

In other news, I’ll be at the Autumn Immunology Conference in Chicago this weekend.  Should be good.