Seizures can race through the brain in seconds, making them difficult to capture in detail. To overcome this challenge, researchers have developed a new high-resolution light-sheet imaging system that is fast enough to image seizure propagation in the brain of a larval zebrafish in 3D.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) uses a light-sensitive drug and a specific wavelength of light to destroy cancer cells. The treatment has become an important option for certain skin cancers because it can target diseased tissue while limiting damage to surrounding skin. But PDT has a fundamental challenge: both the drug and the light must reach the same area of tissue.

Significant advances have been made in the development of patient-derived tumor “organoids” for preclinical research in two new studies led by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators. Organoids are three-dimensional clumps of cells that mimic structural and functional features of an organ, tumor or other tissue. The advances represent progress in precision medicine and point to the more routine use of tumor organoids as models for evaluating and optimizing cancer treatments.