Glowing Mice Used to Study Strokes

The unique mice will enable the visualisation of gene activity in a live mouse in real time.

A group of scientists from the Croatian Brain Research Institute in cooperation with the Laval University in Canada started researching post-stroke events in the brain using mice into which firefly genes have been built in, which enables the production of light. With this process, scientists can see at the molecular level what happens after a stroke in the brains of live mice, the Croatian Brain Research Institute said in a statement on Monday. 

These unique mice models will make possible the visualisation of the activity of genes in a living mouse in real time. The mice had luciferase built in, which is a gene fireflies have that enables bioluminescence, that is, the production of light.

- These genes, when active, become a small source of light that glows in the brain of the mouse. This light passes through the brain tissue, the skull and fur and the process is filmed with an exceptionally sensitive camera. With this process, scientists can see at the molecular level what happens after a stroke in the brains of live mice – the statement says.

One of the expected results of the project is a joint Croatian-Canadian platform 

In order to create ischemic damage that resembles a stroke in humans, a thin line is introduced into arteries that bring blood into the brain of the mouse and this line temporarily stops the blood flow.

After this damage, the following inflammation will be monitored via activated glowing cells of the microglia, as well as the recovery of the brain with the growth of new glowing nerve cells.

One of the expected results of the project is a joint Croatian-Canadian platform which could, with this project, assess the efficiency of therapy in strokes.