Cancer cells, that are too small to be detected by MRI and PET scans, can be picked up from a new scanning method involving a see-through mouse.
In 2018, Prof Ali Ertürk, Helmholtz Munich research centre, figured out a way to make dead mice transparent. Recently, his team has used chemicals to highlight specific tissues to scan them in excruciating detail.
Scientists say this scanning method could revolutionize medical research.
According to the professor, only large tumours can be observed using MRI and PET scans, not single-cell cancers. Additionally, current drugs only encumber cancer and extend life by a few years, allowing cancer to return. This is due to the fact that those tiny single-celled tumours were not eliminated as they were not visible. Their method does detect those tiny tumours.
While Prof Ertürk developed the process to make a mouse transparent five years ago, the scanning technique makes the most of it.
The scanning method involves giving the mouse cancer, followed by making it transparent. Only then is the scanning method used to scan them.
Only a few mice would be required to be made transparent to test the effectiveness of the drug.
Mouse studies serve as a fundamental foundation for understanding human body processes, but the technique is applicable to any animal. It even has the potential to render human tissues and organs transparent, although such a procedure is unlikely to be done in the foreseeable future.
"Advances in technology like this are essential to driving progress and will hopefully lead to new ways to detect, treat and prevent cancer," said Dr Rupal Mistry, research information manager at Cancer Research UK.