Stanford University Researchers Unveil Groundbreaking Findings
STANFORD, CA — In a study that reads like a plot twist from a sci-fi novel, researchers at Stanford University have discovered that a common food dye found in Doritos can make mouse skin transparent. The findings were published in the journal Science on September 5, under the title “Achieving Optical Transparency in Live Animals with Absorbing Molecules.”
The dye behind the discovery
The study, led by Dr. Zihao Ou, assistant professor of physics at The University of Texas at Dallas, explores innovative methods to visualize tissues and organs within the body. Researchers applied a mixture of water and tartrazine—also known as FD&C Yellow 5—to the skulls and abdomens of live mice, resulting in their skin becoming transparent.
“For those who understand the fundamental physics behind this, it makes sense; but if you aren’t familiar with it, it looks like a magic trick,” Ou remarked in a description of the research on the university’s website. “It takes a few minutes for the transparency to appear. It’s similar to the way a facial cream or mask works: The time needed depends on how fast the molecules diffuse into the skin.”
How it works
“We combined the yellow dye, which is a molecule that absorbs most light, especially blue and ultraviolet light, with skin, which is a scattering medium. Individually, these two things block most light from getting through them. But when we put them together, we were able to achieve transparency of the mouse skin,” Ou explained. The breakthrough allowed researchers to observe blood vessels on the surface of the mouse’s brain and internal organs, as well as muscle contractions in the digestive tract.
While the results are promising, the researchers have yet to test the process on humans. “Since human skin is about 10 times thicker than mice’s, it is not clear what dosage of the dye or delivery method would be necessary to penetrate the entire thickness,” Ou noted.
Potential for biomedical research
Expounding on the potential applications of this research in the medical field, Ou said, “Our research group is mostly academics, so one of the first things we thought of when we saw the results of our experiments was how this might improve biomedical research.” He elaborated, “Optical equipment, like the microscope, is not directly used to study live humans or animals because light can’t go through living tissue. But now that we can make tissue transparent, it will allow us to look at more detailed dynamics. It will completely revolutionize existing optical research in biology.”
The study opens up new avenues for non-invasive medical research, offering the potential to observe and study living tissues in unprecedented detail. As the scientific community eagerly awaits further developments, the discovery stands as a testament to the incredible possibilities at the intersection of food science and biomedical research.