What if you could see through your skin? Scientists have managed to do just that by mixing a common yellow dye in water and applying it to live mice. The researchers used the technique to peer through the skin of the mice’s skulls and abdomens, they say. Science magazine report.
The technology could have a major impact on medical imaging because it could provide doctors with a cheaper and more effective way to see what’s going on in human tissue. Although the technology shows promise, it has not yet been approved for use in humans.
Scientists create transparent skin in mice
The effect of combining water and dye may seem like a magic trick, but basic physics can explain how it works. Wu Zhihaoan assistant professor of physics at the University of Texas and lead author of the study, which involves the ability of different materials to scatter or absorb light.
Living skin scatters light in the same way that fog does, while the yellow dye absorbs it. Taken individually, they each block light transmission, but by different mechanisms.
But when you combine the two, the properties change. Dissolving light-absorbing dye molecules in water changes the way the material bends light. This in turn changes the way the molecules that make up your skin interact with light. The result of this combination? The dye molecules reduce the amount of light that gets scattered within the skin tissue. The end result is similar to a fog clearing.
read more: Why scientists created a mouse that’s transparent, tiny, and glows in the dark
The physics behind clear skin technology
This solution to a real medical problem began with roots in theoretical physics, when Ou was studying how tiny particles in a light-absorbing environment scatter light.
“During our preliminary experiments, we noticed that scattering was different when the medium changed from absorbing to non-absorbing,” Ou says, “This led us to think that absorbing molecules might be able to be used to reduce light scattering in biological tissue.”
As for potential applications, Ou attributes its success to collaboration between basic and more applied scientists: In addition to Ou’s background in physics, the research team also includes expertise in engineering and materials science, as well as biomedical knowledge.
read more: The strange physics behind what makes animals invisible
Can scientists make human skin transparent?
There are some fundamental challenges to applying this technology to humans—human skin is about 10 times thicker than mouse skin—but the principles that work in mice should also work in humans, with some tweaks, Ou says.
“More efficient and precise drug delivery strategies and formulation designs are needed to achieve optimal imaging conditions while minimizing side effects,” Ou said.
a team “Scientists are currently experimenting with different ratios of dye to water and using substances other than the yellow dye. If the technique proves successful in applying it to humans, it could reduce reliance on expensive imaging techniques such as ultrasound and MRI.”
read more: 20 things you didn’t know about your skin
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Prior to joining Discover Magazine, Paul spent over 20 years as a science journalist specializing in U.S. life sciences policy and global scientist career issues, beginning his career in newspapers before moving to science magazines. His work has appeared in publications such as Science News, Science, Nature, and Scientific American.
