An innovative approach that simulates the visual system of insects developed at the Technion is expected to impact the monitoring of molecular processes in cancer and other diseases.
![Overcoming 'blindness' with respect to what is happening deep within the tissue [Photo: Technion Spokesperson]](https://www.hayadan.org.il/images/content3/2025/03/bee-vision-organoids-prediction.jpg.webp)
Newspaper Advanced materials Presents a new approach to monitoring molecular processes deep within tissue. The approach developed at the Technion is expected to accelerate important trends including personalized medicine, cancer diagnosis, and early disease monitoring.
The research was led Prof. Hussam Hayek, postdoctoral student Dr. Arnavּ MateAnd the doctoral student Vivian Derace Maidanczek From the Wolfson Faculty of Chemical EngineeringDr. Dalit Barkan, research assistant Dr. Keren Weidenfeld, and Prof. Sarit Larish from the Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Haifa participated in the study.
The innovative approach developed by Technion researchers is designed to enable functional and molecular mapping of organoids – three-dimensional cellular models that reflect the structural and functional aspects of natural tissues. These models are used in biological and medical research to understand health and disease states and to assess the impact of various treatments on the organ or tissue.
The great promise of organoids is confronted with significant technological challenges related to monitoring internal processes in tissue. In addition to their high cost, existing methods are characterized by various limitations, including tissue destruction (e.g. RNA sequencing) or "blindness" to what is happening deep within the tissue (which requires the use of confocal microscopy). The development by the Technion researchers overcomes these limitations by Cheap and accurate method Enables tracking continual Following the structural and molecular processes that occur in the organoid.
The Technion researchers' monitoring method, called chemical tomography, provides information about the tissue based on volatile molecules (VOCs). Such molecules are found in mouthwash, saliva, and sweat, among other things, and Prof. Hayek is one of the world's leading experts in monitoring diseases based on these molecules. To date, he has developed, in this context, a series of original technologies that enable the diagnosis of various diseases at an early stage.
In this study, monitoring of volatile molecules enables dynamic mapping of a human breast tissue organoid, both molecularly and functionally, providing information on proteins and genomic data during the transformation of normal breast tissue to cancer tissue. The molecules themselves are monitored by an array of Graphene-based sensors, and the information provided by these sensors is analyzed using Creative artificial intelligenceThe inspiration for the development comes from the visual system of insects – a compound eye, which is essentially an array of tiny eyes. This array transmits many images to the brain, and the brain analyzes them to understand what the insect is seeing. In the system built by the Technion researchers, the graphene sensor array is the compound eye and artificial intelligence takes the place of the brain.
The new system provides dynamic mapping of organoids in real time, at a relatively low cost compared to existing alternatives and without damaging the organ being tested. This approach makes it possible to identify the different stages of breast cancer progression and better understand the cancer process by mapping biochemical pathways, metabolic markers, and processes associated with cancer development. Indeed, using the new system, the researchers identified six biochemical pathways that produce 12 different types of volatile molecules that may serve as biomarkers for disease states.
According to Prof. Haik, "Beyond the field of cancer, our system will be able to help diagnose problems in various organs, including the kidney, brain, and liver, and transmit the data from inside the body to an external system via an antenna. This will make it possible to continuously monitor various tissues and receive early warning of the development of a disease. This is a breakthrough in the integration of artificial intelligence in medicine in general and personalized medicine in particular."
The research was supported by the Zimin Foundation (through the AI Healthcare Award) and the European Research Commission (Horizon Program).
To the article B- Advanced Materials
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