FEB 11, 2021 9:04 PM PST

3D Techniques Help Study Fat

WRITTEN BY: Nouran Amin

Scientists who study adipose tissues, best known as fat, are often difficult to examine. Now, a new 3D analytical technique can bring a clearer picture to why some adiposes tissues are prone to inflammation. Such techniques can insure new treatment options.

Learn more about adipose tissue:

“The researchers found that the crownlike appearances that gives these structures their name are, in reality, more like 3D shells or concentric spheres surrounding an empty core,” Smith said.

"Using our new technique, we can determine the crownlike structures' volume, the specific number of cells associated with them, as well as their size, geometry and distribution," Smith said.

Findings are published in the journal Science Advances.

"These very large crownlike structures are clustered together and located in the center of the tissue," Smith said. "And there is no way we could have analyzed this before using our new technique."

"Right now, we know that some patients are overweight but metabolically healthy, while others are underweight and metabolically unhealthy," Smith said. "We believe that having the ability to look deep into the microenvironments with fat tissue may unlock some of the reasons why this is."

Source: Science Daily

About the Author
Doctorate (PhD)
Nouran is a scientist, educator, and life-long learner with a passion for making science more communicable. When not busy in the lab isolating blood macrophages, she enjoys writing on various STEM topics.
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