Australian scientists have unveiled a transformative tool that allows researchers to track the fate of individual cells in a developing embryo with unprecedented precision.
The study introduces LoxCode — a system that assigns each cell in a genetically engineered mouse a unique DNA barcode, Xinhua news agency reported.
The team led by Melbourne-based Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI) noted that the barcode might enable scientists to trace the lineage of each cell as it divides, migrates, and specialises.
LoxCode generates 30 billion unique DNA barcodes, far exceeding existing technologies, enabling full cellular ancestry mapping via standard sequencing.
Already adopted globally, it powers studies in brain development, immunity, and organ regeneration, the team said.
The research revealed that the body’s organ blueprint forms earlier than thought. Days after conception, some embryo cells are already committed to specific tissues such as the brain and blood, while others retain full flexibility.
This insight into cellular fate decisions could transform the understanding of development and developmental disorders.
“When life is a ball of just a few hundred cells, we discovered that some cells could individually give rise to every tissue in the body, while others were already destined to become a certain type of tissue, like brain, gut, limbs or blood,” said lead researcher Professor Shalin Naik, and WEHI laboratory head.
“What excites me most is the explosion of research LoxCode enables – it’s not every day you create a tool that’s widely used and has the power to transform what we understand about how our bodies work, at the deepest level,” Naik added.
Tom Weber, the inventor of LoxCode from WEHI and the University of Melbourne, compared it to dealing with each cell with a unique, inheritable DNA “hand.”
By revealing how cells make their earliest decisions, LoxCode paves the way for advances in disease treatment and regenerative medicine. This marks a major step forward in mapping every cell’s origin and fate, said the study published in the journal Cell.
“LoxCode is essentially a DNA ancestry test for every cell, in every tissue of the mouse, that allows researchers to investigate and unravel some of life’s greatest mysteries,” Weber said.
(IANS)
