Deep-Learning Tool Maps Whole-Body Cell Changes in Obese Mice

Researchers developed MouseMapper, a suite of foundation-model-based deep-learning algorithms that enables multi-system analysis of disease across the entire mouse body. The framework performs whole-body quantitative analysis of nerves and immune cells, resolving fine axonal branches and immune-cell clusters while automatically segmenting 31 organs and tissues.

Researchers used MouseMapper to study diet-induced obesity and identified structural alterations of the infraorbital branch of the trigeminal ganglia. This structural impairment in infraorbital nerves was associated with functional sensory deficits in whisker sensing.

Furthermore, researchers identified proteomic changes in the trigeminal ganglion affecting axon remodelling and complement pathways both in mice and humans. MouseMapper also generated detailed three-dimensional inflammation maps by characterizing immune cell cluster compositions across tissues.

The MouseMapper framework demonstrates robust generalizability across different imaging resolutions and datasets. Our study provides a powerful, scalable approach for identifying and quantifying systemic pathologies, bridging molecular insights from animal models to human conditions.