NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Researchers at Vanderbilt University say they have developed a new cell imaging technology that may help in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.

The technique, called imaging mass spectrometry, produces digital computer images showing the location of different proteins in tissues.

Researchers say in the April issue of the journal Nature Medicine that the technology could improve cancer surgery by pinpointing the exact location of tissue producing high levels of thymosin beta-4, the protein believed to cause tumors to grow.

``This information is being used to determine what new proteins are present in tumor cells and what normal proteins disappear,'' said Richard M. Caprioli, one of the researchers. ``What proteins does the tumor need to grow? This information eventually may lead to new ways to stop the cancer from growing.''

Researchers also say they may be able to develop a drug to block the protein once they better understand the function and location of proteins in specific tissue.

``It's truly an exciting opportunity,'' said Mike Gross, a professor of chemistry and medicine at Washington University in St. Louis who is familiar with the research. ``What it offers is a chemical means of imaging, so you can look at the location of molecules and you can make a comparison between normal and disease states.''

Traditional mass spectrometry can generate a spectrum of all the proteins found in tissue, based on their molecular weight or mass. But it has been hard to determine the location and possible function of individual proteins in tissue.

Imaging mass spectrometry aims to solve that problem. Using a laser and high-speed electronics and computers, the researchers modified standard spectrometers so they could generate digital pictures, showing the distribution of proteins within cells and tissues.

The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

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