Local scientists make breakthrough with cell research

Local scientists have developed a new method to monitor the history of contact between cells, which can help with research in many fields such as developmental biology and oncology.

The research by scientist Zhou Bin's team at the Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, was published on an international academic journal "Science".

People are affected by the surrounding environment during social activities, as are cells. The cells are affected by neighboring cells, and cells in different environments will show different characteristics in terms of morphological structure and physiological functions.

Over the past decade, Zhou's team developed the intercellular genetic technology to achieve precise positioning and permanent tracking of adjacent cells in a mouse model.

Studies show that the spatial relationship between cells in the organism is dynamically changing, and cells often "move", choosing new "neighbors", and new "living environments".

The research makes great breakthroughs on lineage tracing technique in vivo and provides new ideas as well as strong technical support for research in fields like developmental biology, stem cell biology, immunology and oncology.