Researchers in Germany have developed an AI-based imaging and analysis system that can map nerves, immune cells, and dozens of organs across intact, transparent mice. In experiments on diet-induced obesity, the tool flagged structural damage in branches of the trigeminal (facial sensory) nerve alongside broad immune-cell changes, and the team reported related molecular signatures in human trigeminal tissue from people with obesity.
Researchers at Helmholtz Munich and Ludwig Maximilians University (LMU) Munich, working with international collaborators, have developed “MouseMapper,” a deep-learning framework designed to analyze whole-body, three-dimensional images of mice at cellular scale.
The system automatically segments 31 organs and tissue types and maps peripheral nerve networks and immune-cell distributions across the entire animal, allowing researchers to quantify changes without restricting analysis to preselected regions.
To build the datasets, the researchers labeled nerves and immune cells with fluorescent markers, used tissue-clearing methods to make mouse bodies optically transparent while preserving those signals, and then captured high-resolution 3D images using light-sheet microscopy.
In a proof-of-concept application to diet-induced obesity, the team reported widespread changes in immune-cell organization and nerve structure. One standout finding was a marked reduction in branching and nerve endings in the infraorbital branch of the trigeminal nerve, which is involved in facial sensation; the Nature study linked these structural changes to sensory deficits in whisker sensing.
The researchers also reported proteomic changes in trigeminal ganglia consistent with inflammation and nerve remodeling, and said they observed a related molecular signature in trigeminal tissue from humans with obesity. The team has said it is making the whole-body datasets available online for other researchers to explore.
