Researchers have discovered enzymes that are able to remove specific sugars that make up the A and B antigens in the human ABO blood groups when mixed with medicine blood cells. The researchers are close to being able to produce universal blood from group B donors, but there is still more work to be done to convert the more complex group A blood type. There is now a higher need for donor blood due to a larger proportion of the population being elderly and more patients undergoing blood-intensive medical procedures. Successfully converting A or B blood types into universal donor blood would markedly reduce the logistics and costs currently associated with storing four different blood types and increase the supply of donor blood by reducing waste.

Scientists often label cells with proteins that glow to measure changes in gene expression, but this technique is difficult to apply to structures deep within the brain as light scatters too much before it can be detected. MIT engineers have engineered blood vessels to express a protein that causes them to dilate in the presence of light. This dilation can be observed with magnetic resonance imaging, allowing researchers to pinpoint the source of light. The new technique allows researchers to explore the inner workings of the brain in more detail than previously possible.

Stanford University researchers have discovered a yellow dye that transforms opaque tissue into a transparent window, allowing them to see the inner workings of living animals. Applied to the abdomen of a mouse, the dye allowed scientists to see its liver, small intestine, bladder, and other organs down to the resolution of microns. Rinsing off the dye with water reverses the process. The technology could have many applications, including assisting in the early detection and treatment of cancers.