“3-D cancer cell visualization for patients and scientists”

There is increasing evidence to suggest patients want to find out more about cancer through new media [Ziebland et al. 2004; Evrarda et al. 2005]. Based on ongoing collaborative work between The Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design and scientists at the Wellcome Trust Biocentre we have identified a need for 3-D time-based visualisation strategies to enable a greater understanding, among both patients and scientists alike, of the processes underlying cancer cell division. We utilized real data from microscope imaging which uses optical sectioning and timelapse analysis to capture 4-D datasets comprising thousands of 2-D images of cells only a fraction of the width of a human hair. However, the subsequent output formats are purely diagnostic, often difficult to interpret and certainly are not patient friendly. Captured as a series of 2-D slices, the interpretation of such medical images can cause confusion, anxiety and fear amongst both patients and their families. For the scientist, dealing with the three-dimensionality of cellular structures when faced with a series of 2-D images can often be difficult. This problem is compounded when the 3-D spatial arrangement changes over time, as is the case when live cells are imaged [Gerlich et al. 2003].

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