Overview
- The team from Tokyo City University and The University of Tokyo engineered human epidermal stem cells to express green fluorescence in response to inflammatory signaling.
- In mice, the transplanted graft lit up when inflammation was induced and maintained its sensing function for about 200 days as the skin naturally renewed.
- The study, conducted with collaborators at RIKEN and Canon Medical Systems, was published in Nature Communications.
- Because the sensor is sustained by skin turnover, it requires no batteries or periodic replacements and can be monitored externally.
- Researchers highlight potential use in animal research and veterinary settings and note the approach is not yet ready for human clinical application.