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Investigating the structure and function of alveoli in vivo is crucial for understanding the normal and diseased lungs. The authors image the alveoli of mice in vivo using a custom fibre optic catheter-based laser scanning confocal microscope. Images obtained using this system are analysed with an automated software application for alveolar size, wall thickness and number. Results show that direct dynamic visualisation of alveoli and surrounding structures is possible in vivo, with high resolution. Early results indicate high heterogeneity in alveolar structure in vivo, as opposed to an ordered uniform structure. Using the techniques presented here, there is great promise for advancing our knowledge of the functional unit of the lung, the alveolus, for alveolar mechanics, cell traffic and three-dimensional structural visualisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The survival rate for lung cancer patients has barely improved over the past 30 years. New evaluation benchmarks for cancer response are needed to test therapy agents in a cost-effective and timely manner. From recent work, it is evident that primary lung cancers are very complex structures containing not only cancerous cells but also fibrotic and inflammatory cells and necrotic tissue. A greater understanding of the three-dimensional structure of primary lung cancer is emerging, allowing for the first time an appreciation of how this biomass is represented in medical imaging data. It is only through a greater understanding of the lung cancer biomass that we can define rational and early-response measures, including specific cellular responses such as cancer cell death or growth inhibition. In doing so, we can define response metrics that will shorten new drug discovery times and reduce costs, allowing for the evaluation of many more agents with therapeutic potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A correction to the article "New Imaging Approaches for Understanding Lung Cancer Response to Treatment" that was published in the September 2008 issue is presented.