Engineers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed a new technique using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to detect light deep in the brain, which could benefit future studies of the development and communication of brain cells.

The new technique could help researchers explore the inner workings of the brain, such as changes in gene expression, anatomical connections between cells or how cells communicate with each other.

Commonly, scientists label cells with bioluminescent proteins that glow to allow them to track the growth of a tumour or measure changes in gene expression that occur as cells differentiate.

Known as bioluminescence, the novel technique uses MRI to observe the dilation of a protein in the brain’s blood vessels to pinpoint the source of light.

The team came up with a method to transform the blood vessels of the brain into light detectors to find a way to detect luciferase, a protein that comes in a variety of forms that glow in different colours deep within the brain.

Researchers engineered blood vessels to express a bacterial protein called Beggiatoa photoactivated adenylate cyclase (bPAC) to make blood vessels sensitive to light and observed that the enzyme produced a molecule known as cAMP, which caused the blood vessels to dilate and be detected by MRI.

The team implanted cells engineered to express luciferase when the CZT substrate is present and was able to detect luciferase with MRI to reveal dilated blood vessels.
After using a viral vector to deliver the gene for bPAC in rats, blood vessels throughout the large area of the brain became light-sensitive.

Researchers then delivered the gene for a form of luciferase called GLuc to cells in the striatum, a deep brain region, to successfully detect light produced by the brain’s own cells.

They plan to conduct further research on the technique in mice and other animal models.

The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) has invested £48m into the Babraham Institute, following a five-year review, to support core research on the key mechanisms that maintain the health of cells, tissues and organs.

Over the next four years, the institute will receive funding to support research across epigenetics, immunology and cell signalling.

The life sciences institute focuses on understanding biology in relation to maintaining health, particularly when protecting and maximising good health in the later years of life.

From 2024 to 2028, the new BBSRC investment aims to support three strategic research programmes to advance the ability to protect health and counter age-related decline, including cellular response to stress, epigenetic control across the life course, immunity, resilience and repair.

In close collaboration with partners across academia, including the BBSRC’s other strategically supported research institutes and companies based on the Babraham Research Campus, the research will be delivered via teams of international experts at the Babraham Institute.

The funding came from a wider investment worth £424m by the BBSRC to support a new portfolio of strategically important research across eight UK bioscience institutes, which was announced in May 2023.

The funding aims to significantly enhance the UK’s capability to deliver world-leading research with socio-economic impact.

Professor Guy Poppy, interim executive chair, BBSRC, commented: “The BBSRC’s strategic investments will help harness the power of bioscience for a healthier, more resilient future,” of which “the Babraham Institute is a critical component of the national and international bioscience research and innovation ecosystem”.

“From understanding the earliest steps of development to ensuring that vaccines deliver strong protection to older populations, each discovery will make a difference to human health and well being,” said Dr Simon Cook, director, Babraham Institute.

Earlier this year, in January, the Babraham Institute’s Flow Cytometry facility collaborated with PlaqueTec to develop and improve treatment for coronary artery disease, a form of heart disease that is responsible for around 68,000 deaths annually in the UK.