New Delhi: Australian scientists have introduced a powerful new genetic tool that allows researchers to track the fate of individual cells during embryo development with exceptional precision. The breakthrough system, known as LoxCode, was developed by the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI) in Melbourne.
The study, published in the journal Cell and reported by Xinhua news agency, describes how LoxCode assigns each cell in a genetically engineered mouse a unique DNA barcode. This barcode enables scientists to trace the lineage of each cell as it divides, migrates, and differentiates into various tissue types during early development.
With the capacity to generate 30 billion unique DNA barcodes, LoxCode far surpasses the capabilities of existing cell-tracking technologies. The tool uses standard sequencing to track cellular ancestry and has already been adopted in global studies focusing on brain development, immune system function, and organ regeneration.
The research has provided new insights into how and when different types of cells in the embryo commit to specific tissue pathways. “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 Professor Shalin Naik, lead researcher and laboratory head at WEHI.
“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,” he added.
Tom Weber, the inventor of LoxCode and researcher at both WEHI and the University of Melbourne, explained the tool’s concept: “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 likened LoxCode to giving each cell a unique, inheritable DNA "hand," allowing scientists to follow how cells make early fate decisions. These findings could lead to significant advances in understanding developmental biology, disease progression, and regenerative medicine.
The study also showed that the blueprint for the body’s organs begins to form much earlier than previously believed, with some embryonic cells already committed to specific tissues just days after conception.
By enabling high-resolution lineage tracing, LoxCode represents a major leap forward in developmental biology research.