Swiss researchers observe deformation of blood cells for the first time
Researchers in a laboratory in Dübendorf in canton Zurich have observed red blood cells deforming for the first time. This allows researchers to show exactly how the blood cells change shape when the painkiller ibuprofen is released.
The technology behind this, known as holotomographic microscopy, should make it possible to investigate the effect of numerous drugs on blood cells, the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa) announced on Tuesday.
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Red blood cells normally have the shape of a doughnut. However, when certain drugs are administered, in the case of burns or liver damage, they change their shape. They become so-called echinocyte cells, characterized by many small, evenly spaced thorny projections.
Empa researchers have provoked such a deformation of living blood cells by bringing them into contact with the drug ibuprofen. Using holotomographic microscopy, they were able to capture the transformation of the donut-shaped blood cells into echinocyte cells in real time in a 3D image, as Empa reported.
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According to Empa, the technique works in a similar way to computer tomography, however, instead of using X-rays, the imaging works via lasers.
Translated from German by DeepL/amva
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