The method, discovered by researchers from the National Taiwan University,uses a microscopy technique known as multiphoton microscopy, which uses strong laser rays -- allowing medical researchers to better observe the process of liver metabolism in live and higher-resolution images, said Lee Hsuan- shu, a leader of the team.

"Now we are able to visualize the physical and chemical processes of liver cells through motion picture videos, " Lee said, indicating their novel method marked a milestone in liver physiology and pathology.

Currently, the common way to study liver diseases is through biopsy or blood test, but these methods only offer observations between time intervals,leaving out the process in between examinations.

Lee said the new video technique could help researchers to find cures for liver diseases, including liver cirrhosis and fatty liver, and could become the platform for future research into living cell biology.

"It could also be applied to endoscopy technique to enhance the image resolution of internal organs," he added.

Another method used for years to study the liver is the intravital videomicroscopy, but researchers said this also has its shortcomings.

"The intravital video microscopy, a 30-year-old technique practiced by European medical researchers to observe the movement of internal organs, takes video images that are much lower- resolution," said Chen-yuan Dong, a NTU physicist who also led the research.

However researchers cautioned that their ground breaking method has yet to be applied to clinical studies, in which human patients are used as the subjects.

Using mice as live subjects in their research, the research team combined the multiphoton microscopy technique and "liver window", in which a chamber of the liver is framed onto the stomach area of the subject, allowing the researcher to probe inside the stomach through a glass window. It also helps to keep the animal alive throughout the experiment.

Chen said the achievement also gives global medical research a chance to study long-term liver metabolism.

"The novel video recording (technique) leads to much sustainable observation as well as more penetrable images," Chen said.

The result of the research has been published as the cover story in one of the issues of the Journal of Biomedical Optics in 2007.

Lee and his team of experts will continue their research, which is financed with a budget of NT$1.16 billion in 2008.

The research team includes experts from scores of areas including physics, medicine, and bio-resources. The team's research is part of the National Research Program for Genomic Medicine (NRPGM), an on-going project launched in 2002.