Scientists have created an AI "body atlas" that shows how obesity damages the entire organism

Scientists have developed a new artificial intelligence tool that, for the first time, allows for tracking how obesity affects the entire organism simultaneously—from adipose tissue and the liver to muscles and the nervous system. This was reported by Euronews. The study, published in the journal Nature, was led by teams from the Helmholtz Munich Center, Ludwig Maximilian University, and their international partners.

The new system, called “MouseMapper,” uses artificial intelligence to create a detailed three-dimensional “atlas” of the entire body. The technology can simultaneously identify organs, nerves, immune cells, and tissues among tens of millions of biological structures.

Until now, scientists studied the effects of diseases on the organism organ by organ. The new approach enables all changes to be observed simultaneously in a single unified picture.

To build the “atlas,” researchers used mice in which nerve and immune cells were marked with special fluorescent signals. The bodies were then treated with a technology that makes them optically transparent without losing biological information.

Through high-resolution light microscopy, three-dimensional images of the entire organism were created, and artificial intelligence algorithms automatically analyzed the data and mapped 31 organs and various types of tissues. Thus, scientists were able to simultaneously track inflammation and structural damage in different parts of the body.

The system was tested on mice fed a high-fat diet. The animals developed obesity and metabolic disorders similar to those in humans. The analysis showed serious inflammatory processes and structural changes not only in adipose tissue but also in the liver, muscles, and other organs. However, the most surprising results were related to the nervous system. Scientists found significant changes in the trigeminal nerve—a key nerve responsible for facial sensations. In obese mice, the nerve had fewer branches and nerve endings, suggesting impaired sensory function. Behavioral tests confirmed the finding—the animals reacted more weakly to touch and external stimuli.

Researchers also analyzed human tissue samples from people with obesity. Similar molecular changes were found in a structure related to the trigeminal nerve, suggesting that similar damage likely develops in humans as well.

According to the scientists, this is further evidence that obesity is a systemic disease that affects much more than just the accumulation of adipose tissue, and the technology could change the way complex diseases are studied.

Instead of analyzing an individual organ, scientists can now observe the organism as a connected system and track how different diseases affect the entire body.

The team’s next goal is to create so-called “digital twins”—virtual models of organisms that allow for the simulation of disease development and the testing of therapies even before real experiments.

According to the scientists, such an approach could accelerate the development of new drugs and reduce the need for animal testing.

Photo: Euronews / Copyright Erturk Lab/Helmholtz Munich /