August 1, 2025 | Light-Sensitive Molecule Allows Researchers to Visualize and Manipulate Cells in Deep Tissues
Biomedical and genetic engineers at Duke University and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine have developed a technique that naturally increases the presence of a light-sensitive molecule throughout the body. This change makes it possible to both improve deep tissue imaging in areas like the brain and expand the capabilities of light-based tools to control cellular behavior.
This technique enabled the researchers to induce the production of insulin and reduce blood glucose levels by nearly 60 percent in mouse models, illuminating a potential pathway for diabetes treatment.
The work appeared in July 2025 in the journal Nature Communications.
Biliverdin is a light-sensitive biomolecule that is produced in large quantities in human and mammalian cells. Over the past decade, it has proven to be a useful target for both optogenetic and imaging tools because it can absorb near-infrared (NIR) light, which penetrates deeper into tissue than visible light.
Although biliverdin exists throughout the body, it is primarily found in blood-rich organs like the liver and spleen, leaving organs like the brain comparatively dark. But longtime collaborators Junjie Yao, an associate professor of biomedical engineering at Duke, and Vladislav Verkhusha, a professor of genetics at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, developed a new technique to increase levels of biliverdin throughout the entire body.