It looks like a kaleidoscope pattern, but this is an image of the fast-forming crystals of a cancer drug. It was created using X-ray crystallography, a technique essential for developing medication.
Drugs can crystallise in many different forms depending on the conditions in which they are made. Each crystalline arrangement can have different biological and physical properties, affecting shelf life or the way the body absorbs it, for example. By revealing the underlying crystal structure, crystallography can help us understand how a drug will perform therapeutically.
Other stunning images, like the one above capturing needle-like structures, are on display at the Royal Albert Hall in London until 7 December. Sponsored by Diamond Light Source , it celebrates the International Year of Crystallography.
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