Scientists from the Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology (MCB) at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have developed a method using blue light to activate a key component of the cell division mechanism. They were able to apply this method to restore cell division in cells from which a critical structure had been removed.
Previously, scientists believed that a protein called Cep192 was necessary to activate this process. However, the LISA study showed that Aurora A can be artificially grouped and activated using light, bypassing the need for Cep192.