Close X
Saturday, November 23, 2024
ADVT 
Tech

Scientists turn mouse transparent

Darpan News Desk IANS, 01 Aug, 2014 09:38 AM
    In a major breakthrough, scientists have transformed a mouse into a "see-through" creature that can give them a clearer view of the body tissues for research.
     
    With the technique called CLARITY, the body of the mouse has been rendered transparent.
     
    The method involves a water-based gel and detergents and can reveal all of an animal's organs - from its brain to its kidneys - while keeping them intact.
     
    "This is the first study to perform whole-body clearing as opposed to first extracting and then clearing organs outside the adult body," said Viviana Gradinaru, a neuroscientist at California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
     
    The earlier method for rendering individual organs transparent had been used only in the case of brains and embryos.
     
    Gradinaru and her team adapted the technique to use on whole mouse bodies.
     
    The gel allowed them to remove the fatty molecules quickly.
     
    In order to prevent tissue damage, they injected the gel and detergents directly into the rodent's bloodstream and within two to three days, organs like kidneys, heart, lungs and intestine turned transparent.
     
    Within two weeks, the entire brain had turned clear as well, Live Science reported.
     
    "We have also developed a solution for storing and imaging thick chunks of transparent tissue. Once tissue is stored in this way, scientists will be able to see the connections between cells, as well as the structures and molecules inside cells," researchers asserted.
     
    The study was published in the journal Cell.

    MORE Tech ARTICLES

    Xiaomi now world's fifth largest smartphone maker

    Xiaomi now world's fifth largest smartphone maker
    China's Xiaomi has become the fifth largest smartphone maker in the world. The Chinese company reached this milestone in just three years....

    Xiaomi now world's fifth largest smartphone maker

    US woman sues Facebook over 'revenge porn' images

    US woman sues Facebook over 'revenge porn' images
    A woman in the US has filed a $123 million case against social networking site Facebook for not deleting "revenge porn" images uploaded by her old friend....

    US woman sues Facebook over 'revenge porn' images

    Getting chatty with meow chat

    Getting chatty with meow chat
    A new chat app is on the prowl, stalking users on social networks like a cat...

    Getting chatty with meow chat

    Instagram launches messaging app

    Instagram launches messaging app
    Social network Instagram has launched its messaging app called Bolt which makes sending visuals easy. The easy to use app allows you to tap once to...

    Instagram launches messaging app

    Our Milky Way much smaller than previously thought

    Our Milky Way much smaller than previously thought
    The Milky Way, the galaxy that contains our solar system, is way smaller than astronomers previously thought, says a study...

    Our Milky Way much smaller than previously thought

    New device allows blind to read graphs

    New device allows blind to read graphs
    In what could open up new career paths and educational opportunities for the visually impaired, researchers have developed a digital system that allows...

    New device allows blind to read graphs

    PrevNext