Glow with the flow: Implanted “living skin” lights up to signal health changes

Research

View list of research

皮膚が光って健康状態をお知らせ（1200_800）.jpg

Japanese researchers created a living sensor display by engineering epidermal stem cells to form an implanted skin graft that fluoresces when inflammatory signaling (NF-κB) is activated. In mice, the graft integrated with host tissue and emitted green fluorescence during inflammation, providing a visual readout of internal biomarker changes without blood sampling. Because the sensor is maintained through normal skin turnover, functionality persisted for more than 200 days, enabling long-term, battery-free monitoring.

2026.01.13

Press Release

Glow with the flow: Implanted “living skin” lights up to signal health changes

Japanese researchers have developed a living sensor display that turns engineered skin into a biological monitor, visually indicating internal inflammation without requiring blood sampling.

Related Researchers

TAKEUCHI Shoji Project Professor

Biohybrid Systems

Department of Mechanical and Biofunctional Systems
LIMMS/CNRS-IIS (IRL2820) International Collaborative Research Center

Mechano-Informatics : Graduate School of Information Science and Technology
Multi-Disciplinary Sciences (Life Sciences) : Graduate School of Arts and Science
Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies : Graduate School of Engineering