Welcome the Interstitium, the New Organ in the Human Body

The Interstitium could help better understand certain diseases like cancer & why it spreads so quickly in the body

Scientists have found a new organ in the human body called the interstitium which is present under our skin.

(Photo: iStockphoto)

Do you think you know about all the organs present in the human body? Well, think again!

A new study published in the journal Scientific Reports states that scientists have found a new organ in the human body called the interstitium.

It is a series of ‘fluid-filled compartments’ (which were earlier thought to be connective tissues) under our skin and in the lining of our gut, lungs, blood vessels and muscles.

The interstitium form a network and are supported by strong, flexible proteins as per the study.

Scientists believe that this new organ, which had gone unnoticed all this time, is one of the largest organs in the body.

It could help them better understand certain diseases like cancer and why it spreads so quickly in the human body. It can also help researchers develop new tests and better treatment options for cancer.

The study states that these fluid-filled compartments can become compact or expand in size and serve as ‘shock absorbers’ for the other parts.

Dr. Neil D. Theise, a professor in the Department of Pathology at NYU Langone Health, who is also one of the study's co-authors of the study, said:

This finding has potential to drive dramatic advances in medicine, including the possibility that the direct sampling of interstitial fluid may become a powerful diagnostic tool.

Dr. Neil D. Theise, Professor, Department of Pathology at NYU Langone Health

The study states that the scientists used an imaging technique called Probe-based Confocal Laser Endomicroscopy (pCLE) to discover the interstitium in multiple parts of the human body.