Scientists have refined a process that allows them to see the inner organs of mice without having to disturb the tissues through dissection. It is a process that is employed post-mortem but still manages to allow researchers to view the internal systems with far more detail than previously managed.

The process, called CLARITY, was actually developed last year. Using clear gels, researchers were able to remove lipids in external tissues that would block light and prevent seeing inside the body. The gel also served to hold the internal tissues in place. Originally, the whole process could be executed on a mouse’s brain in about two weeks. Now the entire body can undergo the procedure in two weeks, leaving scientists free to view every organ and everything connected to them.

This is beneficial to research because it allows for scanning and the use of biological markers to help examine how all the connecting parts in each system work. Before this, the only way to examine internal systems was through biopsy, which separated tissues and damaged the connections. Now scientists can gather much more detailed information and learn about parts of the body that have previously been inaccessible.

This technique is said to provide more detail than MRIs or other scanning methods.

Much about the biology of mice is comparable to humans, making them a crucial element to research efforts. Using this new method could help identify diseases and provide a clearer picture into how all the parts of the body are connected. It could also lead to the development of better treatments to deal with illnesses not fully understood because of the holes in the information currently available regarding human biology.