3-D Model of Breast Cancer in the Lab

Roland Piquepaille writes "According to BBC News, U.K. researchers have built a 3-D version of breast cancer in a test tube. Their model contains cells from normal and cancerous breast tissue. The researchers used a collagen gel to form 3-D structures to create structures similar to the ones found in a woman's breast. So far, they focused on a common pre-cancerous condition known as 'ductal carcinoma in situ' (DCIS). With this model, they hope to reduce experiments done on animals such as mice. In fact, these experiments are not always useful because similarities can be poor between mice and humans. Now it remains to be seen if this model will be endorsed by the scientific community."

Comments

Finally!

[HalifaxRage]

Finally! Science we can get excited about!

Re:interesting, but

[Watson Ladd]

Cells behave differently depending on configuration, and interactions between different cell types are hard to make realistically in a petri dish.

JARS (Just Another Roland Story)

[Anonymous Coward]

I was excited by the word "Breast" in the story title, but then I saw who submitted it and decided, aahhhh nevermind

Hey Peter man!

[MT628496]

Check out channel nine! It's a breast exam!

Re:Oh I see

[mattpointblank]

I wonder, could we somehow put the interests of the many before the interests of the one?

Sure! I assume this means you're willing to be infected with cancer for research purposes - after all, interests of the many...

What about the men?

[keraneuology]

In 2005 the US government spent about $700 million on a disease that affects one women out of eight. That same year the government spent only $390 million on a disease that affects one man out of six.

Re:What about the men?

[Mendy]

No. If men were funding breast cancer resarch because they were worried about their women becoming mono-breasted then they'd be even more keen to ensure that they didn't become mono-testicled (assuming the parent means testicular and not prostate cancer). If that was the problem we'd just invent better fake breasts anyway.

I think Dylan Moran summed up the problem well...

"A big erm health scare on for men for testicular cancer, now that's a pretty scary thing there... women don't get that so much. And it's a very difficult thing coz you have to look for a lump...in a bag of lumps, and that can take a long time. And you have to do it yourself, because nobody actually wants to touch male genitalia anyway coz it looks like some kind of deep sea fish, you know that became extinct after about an half an hour, it just didn't do very well. And it's a very difficult thing, you have to do it yourself, you have to touch yourself. And as a man you are designed to be aroused by most naturally occurring phenomena on the plant. You know if you see a big bag of wheat or a bit of falling masonry, that can get you going. So...actually to touch yourself can be very dangerous, you can have 38 erections in a half an hour and get a very bad nose bleed. And its extremely important not to tell anybody if you do find one coz you know what will happen, they lift you shoulder high through the streets going "lump, lump, lump!" and throw you in prison. And then little men will come in and beat you with spoons. That's what happens, they cover it up but that's what happens."

Scary stuff.

Re:Next step

[Anonymous Coward]

http://www.boingboing.net/2006/02/28/bouncing_brea st_simu.html

here as well.... despite being a science article- it's probably NSFW.