Best of: The future of transparent tissue
The Future of Everything
Applying Dye to Live Animals and Reversibility
Russ asks whether this works on live tissue; Guosong reports on shaved mice where abdominal organs became visible, and the effect is transient and reversible.
About a year ago, a research team at Stanford Engineering led by Guosong Hong published a paper about their work to use a common food dye to make mouse skin transparent. Their findings made a big splash and have the potential to provide a range of benefits in health care. You can imagine that if we have the ability to see what’s going on under the skin without having to cut into it, or use radiation to get a clear look, this could improve everything from invasive biopsies to painful blood draws. We hope you’ll tune in again and enjoy.
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Episode Reference Links:
- Stanford Profile: Guosong Hong
- Guosong's Lab: THE HONG LAB
Connect With Us:
- Episode Transcripts >>> The Future of Everything Website
- Connect with Russ >>> Threads / Bluesky / Mastodon
- Connect with School of Engineering >>> Twitter/X / Instagram / LinkedIn / Facebook
Chapters:
(00:00:00) Introduction
Russ Altman introduces Guosong Hong, an expert in physics, material science, and biology from Stanford University.
(00:01:52) Material Science Meets Neuroscience
How Guosong’s research blends nanomaterials and brain science.
(00:03:00) Why Tissue Isn’t Transparent
The challenge of light penetration in biological tissues.
(00:04:54) A New Approach to Tissue Clearing
The physics behind tissue transparency and refractive index manipulation.
(00:07:57) UV Light and Transparency
How manipulating UV absorption can align refractive indexes.
(00:10:16) First Experiments and Results
Initial tests that demonstrate successful tissue clearing.
(00:12:19) Applications in Medicine
The potential of transparent tissues in dermatology and medical imaging.
(00:14:36) Testing on Live Tissue
The results of testing transparency techniques on live mice.
(00:18:30) Transparency in Nature
How some species have naturally transparent tissue.
(00:19:52) Human Eye and Protein Transparency
The unique proteins that keep our lenses clear using similar physics.
(00:22:24) Wireless Light Inside the Body
Developing ultrasound-activated light sources for tissue imaging.
(00:24:55) Precision of Ultrasound Light
How precisely ultrasound can trigger tiny particles to emit light.
(00:28:14) Conclusion
Connect With Us:
Episode Transcripts >>> The Future of Everything Website
Connect with Russ >>> Threads / Bluesky / Mastodon
Connect with School of Engineering >>>Twitter/X / Instagram / LinkedIn / Facebook
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