Live imaging of zebrafish embryo from 4 views - view 4 Dr. Lingfei Luo, School of Life Science, Southwest University, China

Microscopy Applications for Live Sciences

Imaging Large Model Organisms

Fixed or Living

When imaging large model organisms, it can be difficult to achieve high resolution imaging of minute details deep inside your samples. The specimen may be too thick or dense for your current imaging system.Or you may be challenged with the unsurmountable length of time required to image the entire organism at your desired resolution.

If you are creating time lapse videos of living, large organisms, you will need to minimize phototoxicity, photodamage or illumination-induced biological effects and artefacts.

Drosophila embryo imaged with Airyscan Multiplex mode. Sample courtesy of J. Sellin, LIMES, Germany

Drosophila embryo imaged with Airyscan Multiplex mode. Sample courtesy of J. Sellin, LIMES, Germany
Live Arabidopsis expressing a reporter for a gene responsive to the cytokinin hormone. Imaged with Airyscan. Image courtesy of Howard Hughes Medical Institute, California Institute of Technology, USA

Live Arabidopsis expressing a reporter for a gene responsive to the cytokinin hormone. Imaged with Airyscan. Image courtesy of Howard Hughes Medical Institute, California Institute of Technology, USA
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Development of zebrafish embryo imaged with light sheet microscopy. Courtesy of Jade Li, Diane Sepich, Lila Solnica Krezel, Washington University School of Medicine, USA

3D Imaging of Model Organisms

Quickly and in High Resolution

Thick samples require technologies effective in removing out of focus light. Large organisms can also be impossible to image in their entirety due to time constraints. Innovative light sheet microscopes, such as ZEISS Lightsheet 7, use plane illumination to only excite the desired plane and image quickly – improving throughput of fixed samples or capturing dynamic events of your large model organism. Confocal microscopes, such as the ZEISS LSM 9 family, are effective at blocking out of focus light and can be equipped with Airyscan Multiplex mode for sensitive superresolution at reduced imaging time.

Cricket embryogenesis imaged over five days using automated microscopy. Sample courtesy of S. Donoughe, Harvard University, USA

Extended Time Lapse Imaging of Developing Organisms

Traditionally, intense illumination light was required to excite fluorophores deep within living model organisms. This light can be toxic to the sample, bleach the fluorescent labels and possibly cause illumination-induced behavior – making extended time lapse imaging impossible to document how organisms naturally develop. ZEISS systems – whether confocal, light sheet or the automated system for live sample – ZEISS Celldiscoverer 7 – require minimal excitation light, ensuring extremely gentle imaging that enables you to image your developing organism from hours to days.

Salamander (axolotl) forearm, optically cleared, imaged with light sheet microscopy. Image courtesy of Wouter Masselink & Elly Margaret Tanaka, IMP – Research Institute of Molecular Pathology, Austria

Achieve New Depth with Cleared Samples

Optical tissue clearing has enabled imaging much deeper into large specimens. Light sheet microscopy, such as with Lightsheet 7, or confocal microscopy, such as with the LSM 9 family, enable you to achieve crisp, high resolution 3D imaging of your cleared frogs, mice or other large model organisms in a surprisingly short amount of time.

Visualization of various organs in a resin-embedded mouse embryo imaged with X-ray microscopy. Sample courtesy of Massachusetts General Hospital, USA

3D Non-destructive Histological Imaging

X-ray microscopy offers non-destructive, 3D histological imaging of entire model organisms. Tissues and individual organs such as eye, brain or kidney can be studied histologically, without dissection, inside the organism on a cellular level. Depending on your application, ZEISS Xradia Context microCT enables fast scanning of large samples, ZEISS Xradia Versa is adaptable for versatile applications and ZEISS Xradia Ultra provides the highest 3D resolution.

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* The images shown on this page represent research content. ZEISS explicitly excludes the possibility of making a diagnosis or recommending treatment for possibly affected patients on the basis of the information generated with an Axioscan 7 slide scanner.

Imaging Large Model Organisms

Fixed or Living