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Atherosclerosis: halting plaque in its tracks Researchers have combined different sophisticated imaging techniques to assess the safety and efficacy of liver cancer therapy in animal models. Many hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients respond to sorafenib, but this drug is expensive and may cause severe side-effects. Qian Liang at China’s Institute of Automation, Beijing, and colleagues have employed cutting-edge imaging technologies to study an alternative drug, apatinib, which has shown promise for stomach and lung cancer and has an excellent safety profile. Using bioluminescence imaging, the researchers could directly visualize apatanib-mediated inhibition of tumor growth in live mice much earlier than would be possible with other methods. The researchers subsequently used additional imaging techniques to demonstrate that apatanib inhibits tumor blood vessel growth. These findings reveal a promising alternative treatment for HCC, as well as a powerful strategy for drug testing in animals.