A fluorescence-compatible tissue-clearing reagent enables light microscopy–based imaging deep in the mouse brain.
In The Invisible Man, a science fiction novella by Herbert G. Wells, the protagonist is a scientist who finds a way to make the human body invisible by changing its refractive index to prevent the bending and reflection of light. In a recent report, Atsushi Miyawaki and his colleagues at RIKEN described the development of a tissue-clearing reagent with similar effects, bridging the gap between science and fiction and enabling fluorescence-based imaging of biological tissues at unprecedented depth and subcellular resolution.
High-resolution microscopy methods and fluorescence-based labeling techniques have enabled the three-dimensional imaging and reconstruction of defined cellular populations in a variety of biological tissues. However, axial resolution and imaging depth are often limited by the intrinsic opacity of biological specimens. For example, in visualizing the mammalian brain, light microscopy–based advances have been confined to the few hundred micrometers under the organ's surface. Alternatively, mechanical sectioning or insertion of minuscule endoscopes can be used to access deeper structures, but such approaches are inevitably laborious, invasive or of limited perspective.
High-resolution microscopy methods and fluorescence-based labeling techniques have enabled the three-dimensional imaging and reconstruction of defined cellular populations in a variety of biological tissues. However, axial resolution and imaging depth are often limited by the intrinsic opacity of biological specimens. For example, in visualizing the mammalian brain, light microscopy–based advances have been confined to the few hundred micrometers under the organ's surface. Alternatively, mechanical sectioning or insertion of minuscule endoscopes can be used to access deeper structures, but such approaches are inevitably laborious, invasive or of limited perspective.
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