Angle-resolved low coherence interferometry shows cancer-drug effectiveness in real time

FEBRUARY 3, 2009--A new approach developed by bioengineers at Duke University (Durham, NC) can help clinicians precisely determine, in real time, whether cancer cells are responding to specific cancer medications. Most chemotherapy drugs work by forcing cancer cells into apoptosis (that is, suicide). As cells undergo this process, bodies within the cell, such as the nucleus or mitochondria, go through structural changes. Using the new approach, researchers can analyze the light scattered by these bodies to detect the apoptotic changes in real time.