A research team led by professor Masayuki Sumida at Hiroshima University’s Institute for Amphibian Biology created a type of transparent frog whose internal organs are visible through its skin.
reports that the researchers are saying the see-through frogs can help in the study of diseases and in the development of medical treatments, as they would allow laboratory scientists to check the status of internal organs and blood vessels while the frogs are alive and without having to dissect them.
The transparent frog is the result of breeding two specimens of Japanese brown frog that had a genetic mutation which gave them pale skin. So, by selectively breeding their offspring, they were able to create a frog that is transparent for its entire life. Most of Earth's transparent creatures live underwater, and transparent four-legged animals are very rare indeed.
They also say that by fusing the genes of fluorescent proteins onto the frog’s genes, they can create frogs that glow. And glowing frogs would help scientists study specific “problem” genes by providing a real-time visual when those genes become active.
Professor Sumida says, “Transparent frogs will prove useful as laboratory animals because they make it easier and cheaper to observe the development and progress of cancer, the growth and aging of internal organs, and the effects of chemicals on organs.”
This is some very good news and is a leap for all the reasons cited. It adds up to faster science, which means faster cures etc.
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