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Research is Beautiful – Autumn’s best of the rest

by Phil Prime | In depth

9 November 2026

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Confocal microscopy image of a needle biopsy of a bile duct tumour

We’ve received some truly stunning images over the last couple of rounds, making it harder than ever to choose a winner. So, here’s a selection of standout entries that narrowly missed the top spot but were too good not to be seen!

This entry is part 25 of 25 in the series Research is Beautiful
Series Navigation<< Latest winner in our Research is Beautiful competition
image of oesophageal cancer cells taking up fluorescently labelled nanoparticles
This image from Oliver Bartley at the Cancer Research UK National Biomarker Centre showcases oesophageal cancer cells taking up fluorescently labelled nanoparticles.
Confocal microscopy image of a needle biopsy of a bile duct tumour
Spatial transcriptomic map of chemotherapy-resistant triple-negative breast cancer
Fatemeh Ahmadi, from the Institute of Cancer Research, created this striking map of chemotherapy-resistant triple-negative breast cancer using single-cell spatial transcriptomics. The image reveals a vortex-like arrangement of cancer cell states around a dying necrotic core. Hypoxic cells (yellow) are surrounded by TGF-β-activated cells (orange) and an outer layer of invasive cancer cells undergoing cytoskeletal remodelling (red). Together, these resistant cell states form a distinct niche, offering insight into how tumours adapt to hypoxic stress to promote survival and invasion.
Confocal image of the breast cancer cell line MCF10A spheroid
Sayali Dinesh Shinde at the Barts Cancer Institute captured this striking image of the breast cancer cell line MCF10A as a spheroid, interacting with an aligned collagen matrix. Confocal imaging highlights nuclei (blue) and F-actin (red), creating a pattern reminiscent of autumn leaves. “My research investigates the extracellular matrix, specifically how aligned collagen architecture drives tumour progression. To study this, I culture healthy breast cells into spheroids and subject them to engineered aligned collagen matrices. This allows me to observe morphological changes within the cell trigged by this mechanical environment.”

Send your images!

To enter, e-mail your photos to [email protected] 

Include a short caption, your contact details and an image of yourself. Images should be sent as JPEG files and, ideally, be at least 2000px. Feel free to email this address if you have any questions.

Each month, a panel of CRUK staff will review the submissions and choose the best image(s) that month. Successful entrants will be notified directly and will be awarded £100 in book tokens. The image(s) will be showcased on Cancer News for Researchers and our social-media platform LinkedIn.

The campaign is open to UK residents aged 18 or over. Please ensure before submitting an entry that you have read the campaign terms and conditions.

T&Cs here

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