In this example, Optiscan technology is used to study cell-by-cell patterns of gene expression in living mouse skin.
“Gene gun” technology is used to fire microscopic gold beads into the skin. The beads are so small they pass painlessly into a number of skin cells. The gold beads are coated with DNA which contains the blueprint for a bright green fluorescent protein (GFP). The “hit” cells use the DNA and start to make GFP.
The Optiscan miniature confocal microscope probe is used to visualise and track the cells which have responded to the delivery of the gene.
In similar experiments, it is also possible to observe the movements of the cells through various tissues of the body, identifying them by the unique green fluorescence produced in response to the treatment. This is a powerful technique in cancer research, where migration of cancer and cancer-fighting cells is vitally important. Such imaging may eventually also become a tool in clinical practice, observing whether gene therapies are finding their targets, and whether the patient's cells are responding to therapy.
Image and protocol courtesy of Professor Simon Watkins, Center Biologic Imaging, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA
