NEW DELHI, AUGUST 09, 2026 : Scientists are exploring advanced technologies that could allow researchers to watch living cancer cells in real time, potentially opening a new frontier in cancer research and drug discovery.
Despite major advances in genomics, artificial intelligence and precision medicine, much of modern biomedical research still depends on analysing cells after they have been chemically fixed, stained or destroyed. Such methods provide valuable information but often capture only a static snapshot of a highly dynamic biological process.
Experts believe that observing living cells continuously could provide deeper insights into how cancer develops, adapts to its environment and becomes resistant to treatment.
🔬 From Static Snapshots to ‘Live-Cell Cinema’
Parmita Mishra, founder and CEO of San Francisco-based biotech start-up Precigenetics, said her team is developing a technology platform designed to observe living cells continuously without dyes, labels or destructive sample preparation.
The technology combines Raman spectroscopy, photonics, microfluidics and computational biology to generate biochemical information from living cells in real time. The company describes the approach as “live-cell cinema.”
“Biology is constantly moving, yet for decades we have largely studied it through static snapshots,” Mishra said.
She explained that continuously observing cancer cells could help researchers understand why cells change, adapt and develop resistance to therapies.
💊 Potential Impact on Cancer Drug Discovery
Conventional laboratory techniques frequently involve staining, fixing or breaking apart cells before detailed analysis. A live-cell approach, by contrast, could allow scientists to track cellular behaviour over extended periods.
Dr Shyam Aggarwal, chairperson of the Department of Medical Oncology at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Delhi, said real-time observation technologies could help researchers understand how cells respond to potential drugs and identify subtle biochemical changes at an earlier stage of preclinical research.
He also highlighted the growing importance of comprehensive genome profiling (CGP) and minimal residual disease (MRD) detection in precision oncology, saying these technologies can strengthen the scientific foundation for targeted and personalised cancer care.
🧪 Understanding Cancer as a Dynamic Disease
Cancer is not static. Tumour cells can continuously change, adapt to their surroundings and develop mechanisms that allow them to survive treatment.
Dr Rahul Bhargava, principal director of Haematology and Bone Marrow Transplant at Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurugram, said technologies capable of continuously and non-invasively observing cellular behaviour could become valuable research tools.
He stressed, however, that clinical validation remains essential before such technologies can translate into routine medical applications.
🧫 Organoid-on-Chip Technology
Precigenetics has also developed a microfluidic “organoid-on-chip” system designed to maintain living cells in a controlled environment for extended periods.
According to Mishra, the system was developed in collaboration with photonics engineers and has resulted in a provisional patent application.
The company’s research has also produced a non-invasive sensor capable of detecting haemoglobinopathies such as sickle cell disease as a by-product of its core technology.
🌍 Beyond Cancer Research
The potential applications of continuous live-cell observation may extend well beyond oncology.
Researchers could potentially use such technologies in immunology, neuroscience, rare diseases and regenerative medicine, where understanding how living cells behave over time is crucial.
Mishra said the objective is not to replace scientists or doctors but to provide them with a clearer window into living biology.
📈 India’s Growing Cancer Challenge
The development of better research tools comes amid a significant and growing cancer burden in India.
According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), India recorded an estimated 1.4 million new cancer cases in 2022. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has also projected that the country’s cancer burden will continue to rise in the coming decade.
As healthcare increasingly combines precision medicine, advanced imaging, computational biology and artificial intelligence, researchers believe richer real-time biological data could help transform the way diseases are studied and new therapies are developed.
For cancer research, the ability to watch living cells change rather than examine them only after the process is over could ultimately provide scientists with insights that conventional methods may miss.
