Microscope sees the big picture

Selective plane illumination microscopy can map millimeters-sized samples in vivo

| 3 min read

Register for free to listen to this article
Listen with Speechify
0:00
3:00
Share

A new microscope can generate three-dimensional images of living specimens with a greater combination of depth and precision than before, according to a report in the August 13 Science. Researchers say the novel technique could prove useful for peering inside developing embryos, for example, to track gene and protein expression patterns over days.

"The direction we see for our instrument is to perform experiments with whole organisms that mimic physiological conditions to get a better picture of everything that's going on," researcher Ernst Stelzer, from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory at Heidelberg, told The Scientist.

Stelzer and colleagues sought to devise a method to map relatively large millimeter-sized samples in vivo. Optical projection tomography can image embryos at high resolution, but of fixed specimens only. Magnetic resonance imaging and optical coherence tomography feature noninvasive imaging, but do not easily provide specific contrasts. Laser scanning microscopy (LSM) can use green fluorescent ...

Interested in reading more?

Become a Member of

The Scientist Logo
Receive full access to more than 35 years of archives, as well as TS Digest, digital editions of The Scientist, feature stories, and much more!
Already a member? Login Here

Meet the Author

  • Charles Choi

    This person does not yet have a bio.
Share
3D illustration of a gold lipid nanoparticle with pink nucleic acid inside of it. Purple and teal spikes stick out from the lipid bilayer representing polyethylene glycol.
February 2025, Issue 1

A Nanoparticle Delivery System for Gene Therapy

A reimagined lipid vehicle for nucleic acids could overcome the limitations of current vectors.

View this Issue
Enhancing Therapeutic Antibody Discovery with Cross-Platform Workflows

Enhancing Therapeutic Antibody Discovery with Cross-Platform Workflows

sartorius logo
Considerations for Cell-Based Assays in Immuno-Oncology Research

Considerations for Cell-Based Assays in Immuno-Oncology Research

Lonza
An illustration of animal and tree silhouettes.

From Water Bears to Grizzly Bears: Unusual Animal Models

Taconic Biosciences
Sex Differences in Neurological Research

Sex Differences in Neurological Research

bit.bio logo

Products

Photo of a researcher overseeing large scale production processes in a laboratory.

Scaling Lentiviral Vector Manufacturing for Optimal Productivity

Thermo Fisher Logo
An illustration of an mRNA molecule in front of a multicolored background.

Generating High-Quality mRNA for In Vivo Delivery with lipid nanoparticles

Thermo Fisher Logo
Tecan Logo

Tecan introduces Veya: bringing digital, scalable automation to labs worldwide

Explore a Concise Guide to Optimizing Viral Transduction

A Visual Guide to Lentiviral Gene Delivery

Takara Bio