Fluorescent Imaging May Aid Musculoskeletal Treatments

The importance of medical imaging sharing has been well established for years, but the value of using the cloud and other innovations to facilitate easier access to images for all who need them will only increase as new developments provide better image data.

A new form of imaging could add significantly to this by advancing the field of care for musculoskeletal disorders.

As Science X reports, researchers in Japan have developed a technique for tracking two genes in mice that are associated with the foetal stage development of the musculoskeletal system. These have provided insights into how the tendons, ligaments and cartilage form connections during fetal development.

It was done because one gene expressed red proteins and the other green, enabling the imaging of these to produce a clear picture of the development taking place in the embryonic stage. The work was published in the journal Development.

This imaging provides a 3D view of this development in a way that other imaging methods cannot. This could prove useful not only in detecting problems in foetal development, but also in adult musculoskeletal disorders and regeneration, especially when age or sporting injury is involved. This could, in turn, help inform and develop treatments.

“Traditional methods using thin tissue sections have limitations in preserving structural integrity, which makes it difficult to study the 3D organisation of these tissues,” said Professor Chisa Shukunami of Hiroshima University, where the work was carried out.

He added: “Our approach overcomes these challenges by combining tissue clearing of a newly established double fluorescent reporter mouse model with high-resolution fluorescence imaging.”

Data produced by the World Health Organization in 2022 indicated that 1.7 billion people around the world had musculoskeletal disorders, indicating that this form of imaging may prove valuable for a significant proportion of the global population, not least in countries like the UK, where life expectancy is greater and thus age-related issues are more common.