What is Transparent, Swims and Cures Cancer?

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The newly created see-through fish are allowing researchers at Children's Hospital Boston to view the fish's organs, giving them insight into processes like tumor growth right before their eyes.

Previously scientists used baby zebrafish to study diseases because they are naturally transparent. The problem is that as they grow into adults their bodies turn opaque and can no longer be seen through.

LiveScience.com reports that the new zebrafish, created in the laboratory stays transparent throughout it's entire lifetime.

"Everything after four weeks has been invisible to us," said study team member Richard White, a clinical fellow in the Stem Cell Program at Children's Hospital Boston.

Scientists say that zebrafish are actually quite similar to humans genetically and make for good models for human biology and disease.

The fish were created by Richard White by mating two types of existing zebrafish. He used one that lacked a reflective skin pigment and another without black pigment. The offspring (which he calls "Casper") have only yellow skin pigment and appear clear.

In one experiment White inserted a fluorescent melanoma tumor into on of the clear fish and was able to observe (via microscope) cancer cells starting to spread within five days. White said he could actually see the individual cells spreading.

Although it makes me feel funny to think that scientists are "creating" new species of fish in an effort to study disease I think methods like this could possibly provide some important insight into how and why diseases like cancer spread and eventually lead to a cure.