Â鶹¹ÙÍø

Complex biological systems are delicate machines consisting of building blocks (such as proteins, nucleic acids, lipids, and carbohydrates) that are precisely organized in the nanoscale. Misconfiguration of these building blocks is a hallmark of cancer. Characterization of such misconfigurations in nanoscale is critical for understanding the pathogenesis of cancer as well as their accurate diagnosis and efficient development of therapeutics. To gain insight into cancer pathology, one might need to map a large diversity of nanoscale building blocks, over a wide spatial scale. To tackle this challenge, we are developing a set of novel technologies that enable large scale visualization of biological samples with nanoscale precision, by physically expanding the sample rather than magnifying the light from the sample via lenses. This principle is called expansion pathology (ExPath). By combining various material engineering and chemical approaches, we are advancing ExM-based tools that may elucidate biological insights into cancer.