Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have found that the motion of unlabeled cells can be used to tell whether they are cancerous or healthy. They observed malignant fibrosarcoma cells and healthy fibroblasts on a dish and found that tracking and analysis of their paths can be used to differentiate them with up to 94% accuracy.

Beyond diagnosis, their technique may also shed light on cell motility-related functions, like tissue healing. The paper is published in the journal PLOS ONE.

While scientists and medical experts have been looking at cells under the microscope for many centuries, most studies and diagnoses focus on their shape, what they contain, and where different parts are located inside. But cells are dynamic, changing over time, and are known to be able to move.