Local control of Cre-regulated genetic modeling in vivo using wireless implantable optoelectronics.

Wireless implantable optoelectronic devices enable precise local gene activation in mouse lungs with no organ damage.

• Why it matters: Controlling molecular processes in internal organs like the lungs is challenging but essential for accurate disease modeling; current tools lack spatial precision and safety.
• What they did: Researchers engineered E-LightR-Cre, a blue light-responsive recombinase, and developed fully implantable wireless optoelectronic devices to activate it in specific lung regions of mice.
• The result: Local activation of E-LightR-Cre induced targeted expression of oncogenic KRas-G12D, leading to oncogenic lesions, demonstrating the approach’s potential for in vivo disease modeling.