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."