Sped-up video of bioluminescence imaging in the striatum of two freely moving mice S. IWANO ET AL.

Scientists at RIKEN Brain Science Institute reported Friday (February 23) in Science that they have engineered a bioluminescent system that is 1,000 times brighter than existing technology. The new structure, called AkaBLI, allowed them to visualize individual tumor cells in mice and to detect neurons deep within the marmoset brain.

In a statement, study coauthor Atsushi Miyawaki, a molecular biologist at RIKEN, says, “this is the first time such a small ensemble of a few dozen deep neurons related to a specific learning behavior can be visualized non-invasively.”

S. Iwano et al., “Single-cell bioluminescence imaging of deep tissue in freely moving animals,” Science, doi:10.1126/science.aaq1067, 2018.

Interested in reading more?

The Scientist ARCHIVES

Become a Member of

Receive full access to more than 35 years of archives, as well as TS Digest, digital editions of The Scientist, feature stories, and much more!
Already a member?