Four-lens light-sheet microscope delivers whole-embryo images in real time

A team of researchers from the Max Planck Institute and Technical University (both in Dresden, Germany) has created the first microscope that processes image data in real time and provides the researcher with results rather than raw data. Using two high-speed sCMOS cameras (Andor Technology's Zyla sCMOS models) in a specially designed four-lens selective plane illumination microscope (SPIM) with on-board image processing, the team delivered undistorted, high-resolution images of the entire endoderms of multiple zebrafish embryos in <10 s. According to Jan Huisken, the Research Group Leader at the Max Planck Institute, "We exploited the spherical geometry of the embryos and the speed and sensitivity of the Zyla sCMOS camera to compute a radial maximum intensity projection of each individual embryo during image acquisition. An entire zebrafish embryo can now be instantaneously projected onto a 'world map' to visualize all endodermal cells and follow their fate. This reveals characteristic migration patterns and global tissue remodelling in the early endoderm and, by merging data from many samples, we have uncovered stereotypical patterns that are fundamental to embryo development."

Optical setup of the four-lens selective plane illumination microscope (SPIM) showing the dual sCMOS cameras.

Huisken adds that the raw data from the cameras were not saved at any point, meaning that any 3D information not captured in the projection was lost. But the radial projection delivered immediate, pre-processed data for analysis and enabled experiments to be repeated rapidly. "This new technique will not eliminate the need for slow 3D imaging techniques in more complex shapes, but it is a highly effective strategy to streamline further analysis and increase throughput in many applications," he explains.

For more information on the work, which appears in the journal Nature Communications, please visit http://www.nature.com/ncomms/2013/130725/ncomms3207/full/ncomms3207.html.

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