Scientists at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Janelia Research Campus have developed a new way to deliver complex signals to groups of cells in living animals.
Overcoming the Obstacles
Developing this groundbreaking biosensor was not an easy road. The first sensors made by the team used dyes that couldn’t get inside animal tissue, so they were not usable for imaging animals in real time.
It took over a year of trial and error, but postdoc researcher Helen Farrants had come up with an idea that worked. But after inserting an ‘off-switch’-the amino acid tryptophan, which could be detected fluorescence quenching-the team managed to develop a sensor that can enter tissues and serve as a probe in live animals. This clever solution reveals how the WHaloCaMP sensor came to be, capable of visualizing calcium signals across species such as fruit flies, zebrafish, and mice.
Realizing Fully Multiplexed Imaging
Very importantly, the WHaloCaMP sensor is not only a single-signal detector but also a versatile framework to assemble sensors for various physiological signals. Via the previous proof of principle work, the researchers have already shown that it is also possible to combine the sensor with other sensors to measure up to three signals simultaneously (displayed in different colors).
This enabled the researchers to monitor changes in glucose, calcium signals in muscle and calcium signals in neurons simultaneously in zebrafish. With this multiplexed imaging capability, scientists are unlocking a holistic level of understanding about the intricate pathways operating within living systems.
The researchers are now fine-tuning the WHaloCaMP sensor and working towards new versions to sense other physiological outputs. This will allow the research community to goad kiddiecoasters into inventing what could amount to far more superior in vivo imaging technology.
Conclusion
The invention of the WHaloCaMP biosensor is a major milestone in biological imaging. With liquidity in tissue penetration, fused with the potential for ease of multiplexed signal detection offered by this technology, amazing new ways that we comprehend cellular and tissue level function as well as how organs work in a living system. This revolutionary sensor was only possible thanks to the collaborative efforts at Janelia, where chemists and biologists together create innovative tools. The team is currently working to refine and expand on the functionality of the platform, so even more cutting-edge insights into the workings of life can be expected in no time.
