Albert Einstein, Nobel Prize for Physics in 1921 (Adaptation of Arthur Sasse’s photo)
A revolutionary genetic technique developed by Chinese scientists was able, for the first time, to analyze ancient biological tissues that have so far been considered scientifically useless.
An innovative method developed by Chinese researchers may be critical to studying the brain of the famous physique Albert Einsteinwhich was preserved in 1955, after the death of the German Genius, and divided into 240 Fragments distributed by scientists from around the world.
The technique, developed by investigators of the Chinese biotechnology and designated Stereo-seq V2managed to analyze degraded biological tissues – biological samples stored under deficient conditions for decades – which has so far thought to be impossible to take advantage of investigation.
The first results of the study, presented in an article recently published in Cell, successful: scientists managed to analyze carcinogenic tissues preserved for almost ten years under inadequate conditionswhich opens the door to which the technique can be applied to samples conserved much longer, says.
How it works
Traditional biological samples are generally preserved in FFPE blocks (fixed in formaline and soaked in paraffin), an economic and stable method capable of Keep tissues for decadesbut which often causes chemical damage.
This degradation seriously limited the analyzes of DNA and Arnwhich are crucial, since DNA stores genetic information, while arn translates it into proteins.
Stereo-SEQ V2 goes beyond these obstacles to Increase capture efficiency of the arn and when using Random Initiation Chemistry (Small DNA segments) To achieve complete coverage of genetic information, even in degraded samples.
The technique got Map Arn with the resolution of a single celland identify subtypes of tumors and immunological responses in ancient cancer tissues.
The advantage of spatial technique lies in the fact that it not only identifies which genes are active, but also where exactly they express themselves Inside the tissues, offering a detailed map of cellular activity.
The challenge of studying Einstein’s brain
“If we are fortunate to analyze Einstein’s brain, we could try,” he tells the cellist cellist Li Yangassociated researcher at BGI-research and co-author of the study. “But the challenges are significant, because the preservation techniques of the time may not have been very good. It’s hard to predict.”
Einstein’s brain was preserved with the methods that were available in the mid -twentieth century, long before advances in genetic storagewhich launches doubts about its viability.
Still, the team does not fully exclude the hypothesis. Liao Shatechnology director and co-author of the study, explains that the group carefully examines each sample before using it: “If the samples are too degraded, we cannot analyze them effectively.”
The platform has already shown usefulness to beyond oncology. In tuberculosis studies, simultaneously perfillate host and microorganism, revealing new perspectives on how pathogenic agents interact with the immune system over time.
Hospitals around the world store millions of FFPE samples, many of them over 20 years old. So far, much of this genetic information has remained inaccessible due to preservation damage.
According to Li, the new method significantly increases availability From research material for rare diseases: “Many rare diseases require a lot of time to accumulate samples,” explained the researcher. “Now we can effectively use precious specimens preserved in the long run.”
The experts, however, warn of the limits of the technique. The quality of the original preservation remains decisive for the success of the process.
The techniques available in 1955, the year of Einstein’s death, were rudimentary compared to the current ones, and the degradation over almost 70 years may have irreversibly damaged the genetic material.
But according to researchers, this technology may allow more early diagnoses, more personalized cancer treatments and retrospective studies on archived specimens.
The potential impact surpasses mere historical curiosity: We may be on the verge of a new era of precision medicine, based on decades of clinical samples so far inaccessible.
