3: Something's Not Registering

CeCe: Well good morning, Squiggy! You look pretty happy for having just rolled out of bed.

Squiggy: I'm in a great mood, CeCe! After all, in our last adventure, I discovered my cell type and resolved my identity crisis.

CeCe: And it looks like you bought yourself a shirt.

Squiggy: Oh, wow, CeCe. Thanks for noticing! It's a good thing I wore it today because it's getting pretty chilly in here.

CeCe: Oh, I do NOT like seeing that!

Squiggy: What is it, CeCe?

CeCe: It's a kidney tissue sample, Squig, separated from its home organ and all alone.

Squiggy: Ah, that's no big deal. We can just pick this little guy up, and the next kidney we come across, we can just stick him in somewhere!

CeCe: No way, Squig!! Don't you know that when you're trying to identify a tissue sample, it's all about location, location, location!

Squiggy: What do you mean? Just look at that kidney! It looks the same all over. Just a big brown blob.

CeCe: Well, Squig, that "big brown blob" contains a great deal of variation.

CeCe: Right kidneys are different from left kidneys, men's kidneys are different from women's kidneys, and don't get me started on how kidneys can vary in shape, size, and location from person to person.

CeCe: And don't forget that each kidney contains a number of distinct anatomical structures. These smaller structures have different roles to play and are made up of different kinds of tissues and cell types.

CeCe: However, two distinct anatomical structures may be only millimeters apart.

Squiggy: So, wait a minute. Are you saying that just guessing where our tissue goes may not be a great idea?

CeCe: Well, Squig, let's just say that guesstimating is not exactly what researchers call "best practice."

Squiggy: Well, that sounds impossible. I'm going back to bed.

CeCe: It's not hard at all, Squiggy. In fact, there's a tool to make it really easy!

CeCe: Researchers can register their tissue sample data with the Registration User Interface tool in the Human Reference Atlas.

CeCe: It takes only about 5 minutes to learn how to do it and an average of 2 minutes to register a tissue block.

CeCe: All we need to do is select the correct organ.

CeCe: Now, let's position this kidney just how we want it by using these buttons up here.

CeCe: Or we can rotate it with a mouse or keypad.

CeCe: Now, we can type in the height, width, and depth of our tissue block.

Squiggy: What's that?

CeCe: That's how our tissue block appears in the 3D world of the Registration User Interface!

CeCe: Now we can use these sliders here to rotate the 3D block and move it into the correct place in the kidney.

CeCe: Now this is the fun part. I'm going to need your help, Squiggy!

CeCe: We just need to move this tissue block so that it's in the same place on this model as it was on the actual organ.

Squiggy: Look at us, CeCe, we're registering tissue!

CeCe: Now this is kind of cool. Watch as we move into the space of the 3D model, we'll see an example of what's known as "collision detection."

Squiggy: Collision!! Ahhh!!! CeCe, I knew your crazy adventures would be the end of me! Oh, goodbye cruel world!

Squiggy: Oh. Well, that was not very dramatic.

CeCe: Nope, Squiggy. You supplied ALL the drama we needed.

CeCe: You see, what our block is "colliding" with are anatomical structures. The RUI is just letting us know what our tissue sample is bumping up against as we move it through the organ. This helps for both placement and identification.

Squiggy: Well, I see what's been registered already, but it looks like more information is needed.

CeCe: That's right, Squig. The Human Reference Atlas is always looking for more data.

CeCe: The more tissue that's registered, and the more other researchers can benefit from your correctly identified data, the more complete our picture of the human body becomes.

CeCe: And that's a very good thing for understanding our body in health and disease!

CeCe: So click on this link to the Registration User Interface and register your tissue data today!

Squiggy: And don't forget to spay and neuter your pets!

CeCe: Wrong public service announcement, Squiggy.

Squiggy: But it's still a good idea.

CeCe: Yeah, I suppose.

External Links

RUI Demo Video

If you prefer your demos conducted by a real human being, not a couple of animated cells, check out this video on the Registration User Interface.

Watch Video

RUI Publication

Alright smarty pants, I bet you're ready to read a paper about this! Check out this one from the journal Communications Biology.

Read Paper

Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)

Avoid the embarrassment of using the RUI with your procedures all unstandardized. These RUI standard operating procedures will help you do things the right way!

View SOPs