PathoPlex is a new high-tech imaging tool that works like a disease detective finding hidden problems in tissue samples, typically missed by standard microscopes.

The tool, featured in Nature, can track more than 140 proteins at ultra-high resolution. It works in conjunction with a software called Spatiomic that helps to make sense of the data, noting patterns revealing stress, damage and treatment effects at the cellular level.

When scientists tested PathoPlex on kidney diseases, it picked up early signs of trouble.

In immune-related conditions, it identified a protein called JUN that marks disease progression.

In diabetes, it succeeded in locating stress and cell damage even when tissue appeared normal under a regular microscope.

It also showed how diabetes drugs like SGLT2 inhibitors can ease some of this hidden stress.

PathoPlex could help doctors catch kidney disease earlier and treat it more effectively — turning hidden clues into a clear path of action.

More like this: Off the cuff