Virus-like particles enable gene activity tracking over time in the same cells
Researchers at MIT and the Broad Institute have developed a method to track gene activity in living cells using virus-like particles. This allows scientists to monitor transcriptomes over time without destroying the cells.
Why it matters
This non-destructive method provides a more accurate longitudinal view of cellular behavior, which is vital for drug development and disease research.
by Leah Eisenstadt, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
edited by Sadie Harley , reviewed by Robert Egan
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Add as preferred source The Blainey Lab at the Broad invented a "cellular self-reporting" approach to make living cells share their own transcriptomes in virus-like particles, shown in purple. Credit: Agnieszka Grosso, Broad Communications In recent years, scientists have developed methods to measure a cell's transcriptome, or all the RNA produced by a cell, to study the cell's identity and genetic activity. However, these methods rely on killing the cell to access the bits of RNA within and offer only a one-time snapshot.
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