Among the quieter tragedies of cancer is how often it is found only after it has already traveled far from its origin, narrowing the possibilities for those who carry it. Researchers at Georgia State University have developed a protein-based MRI contrast agent — hProCA32.Collagen — capable of detecting lung cancer metastases as small as one millimeter by reading the biological signature of tumor aggression rather than the tumor's mere presence. The technology requires no radiation and may one day allow physicians to understand not just where a cancer is, but how it is likely to behave. It is a