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Health & Science1h 41m ago

Researchers from Science Tokyo developed a new fluorescent reporter called LiON, capable of visualizing biologically active iron and oxygen inside living cells at single-cell resolution, revealing striking differences in their distribution across organs and between neighboring cells.

Tokyo, Japan

Who
Professor Toshiro Moroishi, Ayato Maeda, researchers from Science Tokyo
What
Researchers from Science Tokyo developed a new fluorescent reporter called LiON, capable of visualizing biologically active iron and oxygen inside living cells at single-cell resolution, revealing striking differences in their distribution across organs and between neighboring cells.
When
Tue, 16 Jun 2026 19:30:01 GMT · 1h 41m ago
Where
Tokyo, Japan ·
Why
The existing methods for detecting iron required fixed tissue samples or couldn't zoom to single-cell resolution, and most measured total iron without distinguishing active from inactive forms; scientists needed a way to observe individual cell iron and oxygen environments directly.
The Frontline Impact

How this affects you

This innovation provides a novel tool for studying various diseases like cancer, liver diseases, neurodegeneration, and aging by allowing real-time, single-cell visualization of iron and oxygen, potentially leading to new therapeutic strategies and a deeper understanding of cellular health.

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