20 Sept 2009

Transparent Frog, First see-through frog

Professor Masayuki Sumida, Research Team @ Hiroshima University’s Institute for Amphibian Biology has created a  transparent frog whose internal organs are visible through its skin.

I can see you, and your intestine

The researchers say the see-through frogs can help in the study of diseases and in the development of medical treatments by allowing laboratory scientists to check the status of internal organs and blood vessels while the frogs are alive and without having to dissect them.

Translucent frog --

According to Sumida, the transparent frog is the result of breeding two specimens of Japanese brown frog (Rana japonica) that had a genetic mutation giving them pale skin. By selectively breeding their offspring, the researchers were able to create a frog that remains transparent for its entire life cycle.

Most of the world’s known transparent creatures live underwater, and transparent four-legged animals are extremely rare.

The researchers also say that by fusing the genes of fluorescent proteins to the frog’s genes, they can create frogs that glow. Glowing frogs can help scientists study specific “problem” genes by providing a real-time visual indication (i.e. the frogs glow) 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.”

Very Interesting..............

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

end point of dissecting animal

siva said...

can u see thee internal organ only through ur eye then how u said to see the aging process and also by making it to transparent whether is sensitive to sunlight or not to live because direct entry of sunlight also cause cancer in rare cases .

Unknown said...

Yea this is a great achivement, now lot of frogs are saved from dissection.

sudhirsvs said...

Really a gr8 work........

Anonymous said...

Yes, this is an unique and interesting idea.Congras to those who really think to this extent.I am also a research fellow and this will encourage and boost me to think more n more deeper.But i have a question,Is it really possible to see the changes in the internal organs.

Anonymous said...

first of al i thank for this innovation. i am biologist basicaly i have one question. why we all intrested only in making abnormal to the nature. dont change the nature live the world as it is pls.. wat is the benefit of this frog to its frog community, some one says that the frogs lives are saved could the scientist give at free of cost to the entire research world..

hanu rao said...

By using this tarnsparence frog as model the researchers should apply this method in other animals like mouse,because mouse is the good model to study many biochemical and cancer research.even in humans due to some pregnency problems the new born babies will looses their epidermial skin and visible transparent, so may be its possible to create transparent mamel as model to study.

Unknown said...

ya..this is really intresting,
but i would like to know how far we can see through..it may be possible to see the blood vessels & organs lying closer to skin..what abt the deeper organs?..is there not any hindrance due to fat deposit...?

vandna said...

Sad that it seems very interesting...its actually like making a mockery of natural existence of living beings.

It is high time we stopped manipulating things so much without having a proper chalked out plan or strategy to work upon things or use such dismally created organisms.

These people are always hypothesising things. One day something is beneficial, the next day it becomes harmful.

Why cant the whole scientific community dedicate itself to the common problems around the world like hunger and poverty, tuberculosis, instead of wasting resources and losing on ethics over such speculations and baseless expts. Useless research is being promoted only for a few papers in international journals and accolades...selfish interests....not for the benefit of humanity.

I don't know if ever we would solely be development oriented. Maybe a global scientific community should operate, on same terms as the UNO with scientists and researchers from all over the world and working on 'actual' first-hand problems. Its a dream but one should always be optimistic. I am. Scientists are people who are taken as conscious of what they are doing...it would be good if they work on the root problems actively and ya, they should be trusted then without apprehensions.

We are in dire need of a re-renaissance.

Anonymous said...

i hope here after the dessection of frogs ii be reduced. its great achievement

Unknown said...

really its a great achievement but m wondering whether it will affect the ethical limits

Unknown said...

its really a great achievement but m wondering whether it will affect the ethical limits.

Anonymous said...

ya..its a great achievment.....but how could this frog can survive from sunlight.....the sun rays can affect the frog and it can cause disease, so then how could be used for laboratory purpose......i think its beyond the ethical limits

ADIL KHAN said...

ya..this is really intresting
but how could this frog can survive from sunlight or sun rays..???

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