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See-Through Mouse Brains
Created; May Aid Medical
Scans
Transparent organs, embryos have real "wow factor," expert
says.
A mouse embryo soaked in saline solution (left) compared with an embryo washed in Scale.
A new chemical may soon allow scientists to see exactly what's on
your mind—because the substance turns brain tissue totally
transparent.
Known as Scale, the new chemical makes body tissue so crystal clear that
light can penetrate deeply enough for researchers to directly see
fluorescent markers embedded in cells and other structures.
This advance could unveil new frontiers in medical imaging, according to its
creators. (See pictures: "Glowing Animals—Beasts Shining for Science.")
"Our current experiments are focused on the mouse brain, but applications
are neither limited to mice nor to the brain," Atsushi Miyawaki, of Japan's
RIKEN Brain Science Institute, said in a press statement.
We envision using Scale on other organs such as the heart, muscles, and
kidneys and on tissues from primate and human biopsy samples."
(Related picture: "See-Through Frog Bred in Japan.")
Paul Thompson, a neurologist at the UCLA School of Medicine who's
unaffiliated with the research, said pictures of transparent organs and
embryonic mice treated with Scale are incredible.
"I've worked in brain imaging for 20 years, and seeing something like this
really had a wow factor," he said.
Transparent Brains to Reveal Drug Activity?
The Scale substance is made from relatively simple ingredients: urea—the
prominent compound in urine—glycerol, and a detergent called Triton-X.
Soaking brains and even entire mouse embryos in the chemical solution for
two weeks rendered them transparent. (Related pictures: "Weird Fish With
Transparent Head.")
Previous substances have been developed to help make cells clearer for
medical imaging. But unlike its predecessors, Scale doesn't also wash away
the signals of fluorescent proteins, which scientists use to mark neurons,
blood vessels, and other small structures in the body.
(See "'Brainbows' Illuminate the Mind's Wiring.")
Fluorescence imaging is currently used, for instance, to map the cellular
architecture of the brain, something Scale could make more effective than
ever, RIKEN researchers say.
Scale could also be used to help researchers refine their imaging targets
before they turn to more complicated, expensive techniques, such as CT
scans and MRIs, UCLA's Thompson said.
"I think there is the potential to visually see if treatments are really getting
to the parts of the brain or the organ you're trying to target," he said.
"If you have a treatment for Alzheimer's, and the goal is to treat plaques
building up in the brain, you might see if a drug is really getting rid of them,
and that could be a big boost."
No Living "Invisible Man" ... Yet
Lab animals won't be having "invisible man" experiences any time
soon—Scale is too toxic to living creatures, though Miyawaki hopes that
limitation can eventually be lifted.
"We are currently investigating another, milder candidate reagent, which
would allow us to study live tissue in the same way at somewhat lower
levels of transparency," he said.
"This would open the door to experiments that have simply never been
possible before."
See-Through Mouse Brains Created; May Aid Medical Scans
Created; May Aid Medical
Scans
Transparent organs, embryos have real "wow factor," expert
says.
A mouse embryo soaked in saline solution (left) compared with an embryo washed in Scale.
A new chemical may soon allow scientists to see exactly what's on
your mind—because the substance turns brain tissue totally
transparent.
Known as Scale, the new chemical makes body tissue so crystal clear that
light can penetrate deeply enough for researchers to directly see
fluorescent markers embedded in cells and other structures.
This advance could unveil new frontiers in medical imaging, according to its
creators. (See pictures: "Glowing Animals—Beasts Shining for Science.")
"Our current experiments are focused on the mouse brain, but applications
are neither limited to mice nor to the brain," Atsushi Miyawaki, of Japan's
RIKEN Brain Science Institute, said in a press statement.
We envision using Scale on other organs such as the heart, muscles, and
kidneys and on tissues from primate and human biopsy samples."
(Related picture: "See-Through Frog Bred in Japan.")
Paul Thompson, a neurologist at the UCLA School of Medicine who's
unaffiliated with the research, said pictures of transparent organs and
embryonic mice treated with Scale are incredible.
"I've worked in brain imaging for 20 years, and seeing something like this
really had a wow factor," he said.
Transparent Brains to Reveal Drug Activity?
The Scale substance is made from relatively simple ingredients: urea—the
prominent compound in urine—glycerol, and a detergent called Triton-X.
Soaking brains and even entire mouse embryos in the chemical solution for
two weeks rendered them transparent. (Related pictures: "Weird Fish With
Transparent Head.")
Previous substances have been developed to help make cells clearer for
medical imaging. But unlike its predecessors, Scale doesn't also wash away
the signals of fluorescent proteins, which scientists use to mark neurons,
blood vessels, and other small structures in the body.
(See "'Brainbows' Illuminate the Mind's Wiring.")
Fluorescence imaging is currently used, for instance, to map the cellular
architecture of the brain, something Scale could make more effective than
ever, RIKEN researchers say.
Scale could also be used to help researchers refine their imaging targets
before they turn to more complicated, expensive techniques, such as CT
scans and MRIs, UCLA's Thompson said.
"I think there is the potential to visually see if treatments are really getting
to the parts of the brain or the organ you're trying to target," he said.
"If you have a treatment for Alzheimer's, and the goal is to treat plaques
building up in the brain, you might see if a drug is really getting rid of them,
and that could be a big boost."
No Living "Invisible Man" ... Yet
Lab animals won't be having "invisible man" experiences any time
soon—Scale is too toxic to living creatures, though Miyawaki hopes that
limitation can eventually be lifted.
"We are currently investigating another, milder candidate reagent, which
would allow us to study live tissue in the same way at somewhat lower
levels of transparency," he said.
"This would open the door to experiments that have simply never been
possible before."
See-Through Mouse Brains Created; May Aid Medical Scans