'Ion glass' technology opens new era for tissue research

A team of scientists from Tsinghua University has successfully developed a breakthrough technology that allows the transparency of internal organ tissues, opening up an unprecedented view of the body's structure.

Scientists at Tsinghua University have just developed technology that allows making internal organ tissues transparent - Photo: SCMP

According to research published in the journal Cell , this new method helps to make internal organs transparent, creating 3D images with high sharpness and precision while still preserving the biological structure of the tissue.

"We created tissue in an 'ionic glass' state, which is both highly transparent and retains the natural shape of biological tissue," the team said.

According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), scientists have long sought ways to make tissues in internal organs transparent for observation without invasive surgery.

However, current methods often cause tissue deformation, causing the original structure to be distorted. Not only that, the quality of the CT scan is also reduced, and freezing techniques will form ice crystals that destroy the tissue.

In that context, Tsinghua University said their new technology has significantly outperformed current methods with higher transparency. In particular, at low temperatures, transparent tissue can turn into a solid state like glass without deformation, allowing for long-term preservation while maintaining structural integrity.

According to SCMP , the research team successfully tested the new technology on many internal organs of mice, including the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, kidneys and brain.

Even when stored at extremely low temperatures of -80°C, these tissues remained transparent and did not form ice crystals – something that previous methods could not achieve.

The heart, liver, spleen, lungs, kidneys and brain of a mouse tested with "ionic glass" technology were then placed in a freezer at -80°C, where they remained transparent and did not form ice crystals (right) - Photo: SCMP

With its huge potential, “ion glass” technology is expected to open up breakthroughs in the fields of smart diagnostics and research at levels previously inaccessible.

Tsinghua University said the research team is continuing to perfect the technology, aiming for wider application in clinical medicine and modern sciences.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/cong-nghe-thuy-tinh-ion-mo-ky-nguyen-moi-cho-nghien-cuu-mo-20250818175249484.htm