What do you get when you mix Doritos and mice? Apparently see-through mice. Of course, it’s not that simple but the finding related to Doritos has captured people’s attention.
Doritos and mice
I’ve had several people ask me about the Doritos orange dye and “transparent mice” paper. It is interesting that the orange dye in Doritos can open up tissue opacity providing a window in a sense into internal organs.
Here’s some coverage: Scientists use food dye found in Doritos to make see-through mice, WaPo. Here’s the source Doritos mice Science article.
In the regenerative space, perhaps if stem or other cells are given as an investigational treatment to mice, we could monitor the cells or resulting tissue growth more easily via such a dye. The cells probably need a label like a fluorescent dye.
One broader lesson here is that all the processed food we eat and its chemicals could be doing weird things to our bodies.
More regenerative reads including on iPS cells & MYC
- Kyoto University Hospital seeks to treat Type 1 diabetes using iPS cells, The Japan Times. Interestingly, the trial will use sheets of pancreatic cells. The product is based on iPS cells. Other stem cell work targeting diabetes is focused on capsules of pancreatic cells. The fact that multiple research groups are working in different ways on this problem raises the odds of success. Professor Daisuke Yabe is leading this exciting work.
- Developmental DNA demethylation is a determinant of neural stem cell identity and gliogenic competence, Science.
- Development of adeno-associated viral vectors targeting cardiac fibroblasts for efficient in vivo cardiac reprogramming, Stem Cell Reports. In vivo reprogramming continues to be a cool idea that still faces many challenges. Imagine if instead of delivering heart cells to a sick heart, you just reprogram cardiac fibroblasts into the needed new heart cells? Delivery of reprogramming tech is one challenge. Another is the right kind of “just right” reprogramming. Too much and you get iPS cells and teratoma. The anti-aging crowd is excited about in vivo reprogramming in their space but they often ignore the iPS cell/teratoma risk.
- The SAGA acetyltransferase module is required for the maintenance of MAF and MYC oncogenic gene expression programs in multiple myeloma, G&D. This study was led by Sharon Dent, with whom my lab collaborated on links between MYC and GCN5 in neural stem cells. The MYC–MAF–SAGA axis drives oncogenic gene expression in multiple myeloma, G&D. Here’s another article that is similar in findings.
- ‘Stealth corrections’: when journals quietly fix papers, Retraction Watch.
- An Endometrial Stem Cell Pioneer, The Scientist. There hasn’t been enough research on uterine stem cells.