New labeling proteins that fluoresce in the infrared spectrum allow scientists to see deep inside the body of living mammals without lifting a scalpel, according to a study published in Science tomorrow (May 8).
Researchers in the lab of Roger Tsien, who received the 2008 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his role in the development of green fluorescent protein (GFP) to label tissue, have now come up with a new marker, called infrared-fluorescent protein (IFP), specifically designed for in vivo studies of whole animals. They used the molecule, derived from a mutated bacterial protein, to visualize the livers of living mice.
The technique "is a tremendous advantage," said Gary Borisy, the director and chief executive of the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. "It's possible to look deeper inside tissue, look deeper inside our bodies, or look deeper inside organs with infrared."
The application of GFP to cellular imaging ...
