Establishment of model mice for non-invasive monitoring of physiological effects in extreme environments – Publicly Invited Research 2016－2017
- A02 Shinohara
- A02 Maekawa
- A02 Ohgami
- A02 Nishimura
- A02 Kawano
- A02 Iwase
- A02 Furuichi
- A02 Myung
- A02 Kitamura
| Research Subject | Establishment of model mice for non-invasive monitoring of physiological effects in extreme environments |
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For human space exploration, understanding not only the effects of stress in extreme environments but also the biological features in recovering from such harmful influence can support astronauts after their return to the earth. To achieve this goal, non-invasive imaging techniques for living animals are expected to become a powerful approach. The purpose of this project is to develop model mice for non-invasive analyses of the effects caused by gravitational changes, radiation, and a confined environment by using a near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence imaging technique.
In order to understand the processes of various intravital phenomena, non-invasive experiments using animals are powerful methods because such experiments do not disturb intravital circumstances, while simplifying the long-term observation of biological changes. In addition to the visualization of "form" by such modalities as X-ray CT, MRI and ultrasonic diagnosis, an imaging “function” such as for gene expression, cell activity, and the function of organs is also required. Though fluorescent protein-based techniques have been developed and are widely used for functional imaging, visible light propagates poorly into mammalian tissues and is not suitable for non-invasive imaging.
To solve these problems, we attempted to establish and develop model mice. NIR light can propagate deeply into mammalian tissues by low absorption. In this research, we will establish new imaging model mice that allow us to monitor the physiological effects of the extreme environment of space by applying the NIR non-invasive imaging technique.
