Reference

Fay, M. G., Lang, P. J., Denu, D. S., et al. (2026). ClearScope: A Fully Integrated Light-Sheet Theta Microscope for Sub-Micron-Resolution Imaging Without Lateral Size Constraints. Journal of Imaging. https://doi.org/10.3390/jimaging12030118

Background

Three-dimensional imaging of intact organs and large tissue samples is critical for studying neural connectivity and structural changes in neurological disorders. While light sheet microscopy has become a leading tool for imaging cleared tissues, conventional systems face a fundamental limitation: the orthogonal arrangement of illumination and detection optics constrains the lateral size of specimens that can be imaged — making it impossible to capture intact large rodent brains or human tissue sections in their entirety.

About ClearScope

ClearScope is based on light sheet theta microscopy (LSTM), a technology developed by Professor Raju Tomer and colleagues at Columbia University. Unlike traditional light sheet systems, LSTM uses two oblique illumination paths paired with perpendicular detection optics — enabling imaging of specimens with effectively unconstrained lateral dimensions while maintaining subcellular resolution.

Part of our broader light sheet microscopy platform – built to push the boundaries of 3D imaging

ClearScope is a technological cousin to SLICE, MBF Bioscience’s newest light sheet microscope system. Together they reflect our commitment to expanding the boundaries of 3D biological imaging — from connectomics and systems neuroscience to vascular biology, cancer biology, and organoid research.

We’re grateful to our collaborators at Columbia University and NYU Langone Health for their partnership in this work.

The post Breaking the size barrier: ClearScope light sheet microscope paper published in Journal of Imaging appeared first on MBF Bioscience.

Now available through our online store:

• Fiber Optic Cannulae

• Patch Cords

• Ceramic Split Sleeves

• Additional consumables

This new platform was created with your research needs in mind—offering a simple, streamlined experience so you can get what you need quickly and reliably.

Key Benefits:

• Order anytime
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Can’t find what you’re looking for? Our team is here to help. Email us at info@mbfbioscience.com and we’ll assist you in locating the right tools for your setup.

At MBF Bioscience, we remain committed to supporting your research with high-quality products and responsive service.

🛒 Explore the store today and simplify your fiber photometry workflow.

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MBF Bioscience Introduces SLICE™: We Reimagined Light Sheet Microscopes From the Ground Up

Breakthrough system combines high performance with unprecedented affordability and compact design, making cutting-edge light sheet microscopy accessible to labs of all sizes

WILLISTON, VT – June 9, 2025 – MBF Bioscience, a world leader in quantitative microscopy solutions, today announced the commercial launch of SLICE™, a revolutionary light sheet microscope that represents a paradigm shift in advanced imaging technology. Invented by leading researchers at Columbia University, this patent-pending innovation delivers advanced 3D imaging capabilities to research labs of all sizes while offering performance that surpasses systems costing ten times more.

Breaking Down Barriers to Advanced Imaging

SLICE addresses one of the most significant challenges in modern biological research: the limited accessibility of high-performance light sheet microscopy due to high costs and complex infrastructure requirements. This innovative system offers high sub-micron resolution imaging of biological samples, making it ideal for both individual laboratories and core facilities, effectively democratizing access to what was previously available only to well-funded institutions.

“For over three decades, MBF Bioscience has been committed to putting powerful research tools in the hands of scientists everywhere,” said Jack Glaser, President and Co-founder of MBF Bioscience. “To advance science, we had to change the math. SLICE represents the embodiment of that mission—delivering the performance researchers need at a price point that makes advanced light sheet microscopy accessible to labs that previously couldn’t afford this technology. We’re not just selling a microscope, we’re opening doors to discoveries that might never have happened otherwise.”

Dr. Raju Tomer, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences at Columbia University and inventor of the technology underlying SLICE, added: “When we developed this approach, our goal was to overcome the fundamental limitations that have kept light sheet microscopy out of reach for so many researchers. SLICE realizes that vision—it’s a system that doesn’t compromise on scientific capability while dramatically reducing the barriers to entry. I’m excited to see how the broader research community will use this technology to push the boundaries of what’s possible in biological imaging.”

Technical Innovation Meets Practical Design

SLICE comes equipped with powerful software for tera-voxel visualization, seamless image stitching, and sophisticated post-processing. The system’s compact, benchtop-ready design enables placement in diverse research environments, including higher biosafety level facilities, small lab spaces, and even inside incubators where experiments are conducted.

Key features of SLICE include:

• Exceptional Performance-to-Cost Ratio: Performance surpassing systems costing ten times as much
• Multi-wavelength Compatibility: 3 illumination wavelengths for popular labels such as: GFP, Thy1-GFP, eYFP, Alexa 514, 633, 647, mCherry, tdTomato
• Versatile Clearing Compatibility: Compatible with iDISCO, CLARITY, SHANEL, CUBIC, BINAREE and virtually all other optical clearing techniques
• Comprehensive Software: BrightSLICE software for acquisition, visualization, and post-processing
• Seamless Integration: Seamlessly integrates with MBF Bioscience’s suite of analytical tools, including Neurolucida 360, NeuroInfo and NeuroDeblur

Expanding Research Capabilities

The SLICE system enables researchers to image labeled cells and neuronal processes throughout cleared tissue with exceptional clarity and speed. A wide range of proteins and dyes can be used with SLICE, including c-Fos, tdTomato, mCherry, podocalyxin, CD31, Acta2, mScarlet, and Thy1-eYFP, making it suitable for diverse research applications across neuroscience, developmental biology, cancer research, and beyond.

Advanced image stitching produces 3D image volumes suitable for MBF Bioscience’s AI-based quantitative analysis software to produce accurate data for analyzing morphometry, cell populations, sub-cellular processes, vasculature and fluorescence properties, enabling researchers to conduct sophisticated analyses previously limited to specialized facilities.

About MBF Bioscience

MBF Bioscience is a biotech company that develops microscopy software and hardware for bioscience research and education. MBF Bioscience’s primary location is Williston, Vermont, United States and has offices that market, sell, and support its line of hardware and software products in Ashburn, Virginia; San Diego, California; Europe, and Asia. The company was founded in 1988 as MicroBrightField, Inc. by the father and son team of Dr. Edmund Glaser and Jack Glaser, and has been instrumental in advancing quantitative microscopy for over three decades.

MBF has received numerous awards for innovation, customer service, and employee satisfaction, including the US Small Business Administration’s Tibbetts Award for excellence in high technology, the Vermont Small Business Person of the Year award, and the Best Places to Work in Vermont award. MBF’s tools have been cited in over 16,000 peer-reviewed journal publications, underscoring the company’s impact on global scientific research.

Availability and Pricing

SLICE is now available for order, with 30-day lead time for delivery. The complete system, including the light sheet microscope, BrightSLICE software, and computer workstation, is priced under $75,000 – representing exceptional value for advanced 3D imaging capabilities. For demonstrations, technical specifications, or ordering information, visit www.mbfbioscience.com/products/slice or contact MBF Bioscience directly.

Media Contact: Pasang Sherpa, Marketing Manager

Phone: +1 (802) 288-9290

Email: pasang@mbfbioscience.com

The post MBF Bioscience Introduces SLICE™: We Reimagined Light Sheet Microscopes From the Ground Up appeared first on MBF Bioscience.

MBF Bioscience and Phaseform are delighted to announce a breakthrough collaboration that integrates Phaseform’s advanced Adaptive Optics (AO) solutions into MBF Bioscience’s renowned ScanImage software for multiphoton and laser scanning microscopes. This joint development opens the door for researchers across neuroscience, developmental biology, cancer research, and other fields to achieve unmatched image clarity and depth, all while preserving their existing microscopy workflows.

The post Adaptive Optics for MBF Bioscience’s ScanImage using Phaseform’s Deformable Phase Plate Technology appeared first on MBF Bioscience.

In just a few days, at the Society for Neuroscience meeting in Chicago, we will be unveiling SLICE – our new affordable light sheet microscope that truly redefines what’s possible in imaging technology. SLICE is the result of our collaboration with leading microscopy researchers at Columbia University, embodying our mission to support “Big Science in labs of all sizes”.

What makes SLICE extraordinary and such a transformative technology? Let me share some key points:

• Performance on par with systems costing ten times as much
• Resolution of ~1 μm laterally and ~5 μm axially, resolves cells and neuronal processes throughout the brain
• Three-wavelength imaging capability
• Compatible with iDISCO, CLARITY, SHANEL, BINAREE and other optical clearing techniques

Most importantly, we’re offering SLICE at an introductory price under $50,000 for a limited time, including lasers and a computer workstation. This is not just a price point; it’s a statement of our commitment to democratizing access to advanced research tools.

I personally invite you to visit us at Booth 781 during SfN to learn about our exclusive conference offers designed to make this innovative technology even more accessible. See SLICE in action, and let’s discuss how it can propel your research forward. If you can’t make it to SfN, please visit our website SLICE for detailed information.

In my 30 years in this field, I’ve seen many advances, but SLICE stands out as a true game-changer. It has the potential to accelerate research across multiple disciplines, and I couldn’t be more excited to share it with you.

We pride ourselves in helping scientists make new discoveries, which is why we are determined to do things that allow more researchers to make more discoveries.

I look forward to your feedback and to seeing the groundbreaking research that SLICE will enable in your labs.

Sincerely,

Jack Glaser

President, MBF Bioscience

The post Introducing SLICE™: A new era in low-cost, high-performance light-sheet microscopy appeared first on MBF Bioscience.

Light Beads Microscopy is a new method of two-photon microscopy optimized for volume imaging. It enables investigators to scan an entire volume in the rate that other conventional mesoscopes records just a single plane. This new technique makes use of columns of “Light Beads”, individual beams which are distinguishable in time and focus to different depths in the sample. Their novel approach uses 30 multiplexed beams, roughly an order of magnitude higher than any other previous temporal multiplexing approach demonstrated in vivo.  This quantum leap in imaging efficiency makes Light Beads Microscopy well suited for studying multi-regional encoding of sensory information and the dynamic interaction of brain networks at the single-neuron level.

Using Light Beads Microscopy and genetically encoded calcium indicators, Demas and colleagues imaged calcium transients in hundreds of thousands of cells in vivo, in portions of somatosensory-, visual-, posterior parietal-, and retro splenial–cortex, contained in a 3 mm X 5 mm area and a depth of 0.5 mm. The sampling rate of 5 Hz was per volume, not per plane. Stimuli used were whiskers perturbation and visual presentation of high-contrast drifting grates. Three sub-populations of neurons were identified that respond to whiskers stimuli, visual stimuli, or are spontaneously active. They also found evidence of mixed-selectivity in four anatomically separate clusters of cells, and of neurons that undergo distinct types of response modulation to one stimulus by the other located in separate anatomical locations.

To make the multiplexing happen, the laser light pulse is sent through two series of optical cavities that contain convex mirrors. The first cavity lets a small fraction of the energy of the laser pulse escape to the second cavity through a partially reflecting mirror (PRM) but sends the bulk of the laser energy back into the first cavity through a delay line loop created by the convex mirrors until it encounters the PRM again. The second cavity, which functions mainly as a delay line, splits the incoming pulse into two pulses. The first pulse is directed to the sample, while the second is delayed by the cavity before also being sent to the microscope. By travelling over and over in the first cavity and dividing pulses in the second one as described, a 90fs laser pulse is split into thirty ‘sub- pulses’ that occur only about 7ns apart from each other, with all 30 sub-pulses delivered to the sample in ~200ns.  MBF Bioscience engineers created the software for the Light Beads Microscope using ScanImage. This software was used to control the hardware and to receive and assemble the signals multiplexed in time and space from the photomultiplier tube.

Here at MBF Bioscience, thanks to a Small Business Innovation Research Grant from the NIMH, we are now working to commercialize this technology. We plan to optimize the hardware that creates the lights beads to reduce the overall microscope-system footprint and make it more versatile and easily adaptable to other laser-scanning microscopes and/or excitation wavelengths.

Light Beads Microscopy represents a major breakthrough in our ability to study the activity of large cell populations in the brain, and has the potential to revolutionize our understanding of how the brain encodes information.

Learn more about ScanImage and how it can help your research at: https://www.mbfbioscience.com/products/scanimage.

Reference:

Demas, J., Manley, J., Tejera, F. et al. High-speed, cortex-wide volumetric recording of neuroactivity at cellular resolution using light beads microscopy. Nat Methods 18, 1103–1111 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41592-021-01239-8

The post Light Beads Microscopy: A Breakthrough in Volumetric in vivo Brain Imaging appeared first on MBF Bioscience.

In a study published in 2015, Bansel et al. found that long-lived C. elegans mutants exhibited a higher proportion of life in an unhealthy state compared to non-mutants. In their 2017 publication, Rollins et al. sought to better understand the relationship between lifespan and quality of life in C. elegans mutants. The authors used two models to assess health span in short-lived mutants: one focused on age-dependent factors such as locomotion, maximum bending amplitude, and thermo-tolerance; the other examined the effects of extrinsic forces over time, including accumulation of autofluorescence and pharyngeal pumping.

To track the worms and obtain data on size and behavior including speed of locomotion and bending angle, the researchers utilized WormLab® software. They found that short-lived mutants spent less time in a healthy state compared to non-mutants, when locomotion markers were used for the evaluation.   Unexpectedly, however, short-lived mutants exhibited thermo-tolerance for a longer percentage of life span than wild-type worms, suggesting that these mutants may have an advantage in this particular measure of health span.

The authors propose a new metric that combines survival rate and health performance to more accurately score health, taking into account both age-dependent and time-dependent factors. This approach could help to better understand the relationship between lifespan and quality of life in model organisms and could have implications for future research on aging and longevity.

In conclusion, the study of short-lived C. elegans mutants provides valuable insights into the relationship between life span and quality of life. The use of two models to assess health and the proposal of a new metric to score health highlight the complexity of this relationship and the need for further research to fully understand it. As we continue to strive for longer, healthier lives, the use of model organisms like C. elegans will undoubtedly remain essential to this research as we aim to promote healthy aging and unlock the secrets of aging.

Learn more about the WormLab software

Reference:

Rollins, J. A., Howard, A. C., Dobbins, S. K., Washburn, E. H., & Rogers, A. N. (2017). Assessing health span in Caenorhabditis elegans: Lessons from short-lived mutants. The Journals of Gerontology: Series A, 72(4), 473–480. https://doi.org/10.1093/gerona/glw248

The post Exploring the Relationship between Lifespan and Quality of Life in C. Elegans Mutants appeared first on MBF Bioscience.

The radical new advantage of the Mini2P microscope is its light weight and the flexibility of its laser-cable. With heavier microscopes, for instance when used for imaging neurons in the striatum (Maltese et al. 2021), animals are restricted to less active behaviors such as walking on a treadmill, but with the extremely light weight Mini2P, in-vivo imaging, for instance of ‘place-cells’ in the hippocampus, can be done on animals engaging in much more active behaviors, such as finding their way through a maze (Zong et al.).

ScanImage software gives efficient control of the Mirrorcle (Mirrorcle Technologies, Inc., Richmond CA) MEM scanner for XY imaging, the electronically-tunable µTlens for focusing, and laser beam power. ScanImage receives the resulting data from photo-multiplier-tubes (PMTs) and assembles images of functioning neurons. The input and output signals for this in-vivo imaging are controlled with and exchanged between ScanImage and the hardware via the VDAQ card and breakout board.

Proof of concept is shown in, ‘Large-scale two-photon calcium imaging in freely moving mice,’ by Zong et al., published this year: ScanImage … fully supports the hardware control and data acquisition of MINI2P. Following the wiring illustration and the operation manual in Methods S1, Section 9, the system can be run directly without further modification. (Zong et al., Control and Acquisition, p. e9)

The just three-gram 2P miniscope with its flexible fiber laser cable attached was shown to be light enough for active behavorial experiments. Three-dimensional imaging of fluorescence indicating cellular calcium concentration in visual cortex, hippocampus archicortex, and hippocampus was done at 7.5 Hz. The mice were so unencumbered as to be considered freely moving, and ‘place-cells’ in the hippocampus were seen to undergo changes in calcium concentration correlated with the animals’ position in the maze.

How does ScanImage accomplish control and acquisition? The mirrorcle resonant scanner driver is intended for use with a MEMS mirror device. This driver enables one of the axes, the X axis, of the mirror to be used in resonant scanning mode. To use the second axis, the Y axis, of the mirror, an Analog Galvo device is added to ScanImage. ScanImage takes the information about the fast X axis mirror position and uses it to calculate and send the signal for the relatively slow Y axis mirror. Two analog outputs of vDAQ send the MEMS scanning control signal (fast axial and slow axial) to the mirror device. A third analog output sends the control signal to the µTlens driver (Thorlabs, Newton, NJ). A fourth analog output sends the laser power control signal to the laser controller. The laser source was a compact, single-wavelength, fiber-based femtosecond laser (FemtoFiber Ultra 920, Toptica, Munich, Germany). For acquisition, the signals from two-channel PMTs are connected to two high-speed (125 MHz) analog inputs of the vDAQ card. A maximum of 4 channels can be acquired simultaneously. ScanImage organizes the PMT data to form the images.

The process of imaging functioning neurons in freely behaving animals is incredibly powerful, but also exceedingly complex. ScanImage software can simplify these procedures and make the control of in-vivo image acquisition easily executable.

To learn more about how ScanImage controls the Mini2P, click here to see the workshop given by ScanImage product manager, Mitchell Sandoe.

Reference:

Maltese, Marta, Jeffrey R March, Alexander G Bashaw, Nicolas X Tritsch, 2021, Dopamine differentially modulates the size of projection neuron ensembles in the intact and dopamine-depleted striatum.  https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.68041

Zong, Weijian, Horst A Obenhaus , Emilie R Skytøen, Hanna Eneqvist, Nienke L de Jong, Ruben Vale, Marina R Jorge, May-Britt Moser, Edvard I Moser, 2022, Large-scale two-photon calcium imaging in freely moving mice. Cell, 185(7):1240-1256.e30. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2022.02.017. Epub 2022 Mar 18.

The post Mini2P miniature microscope and ScanImage appeared first on MBF Bioscience.

The facial nucleus, present in vertebrate animals, is a group of neurons in the brainstem that receives instructions from neurons in the cortex to direct movement of the muscles of the face. For this paper, the authors characterized the facial nucleus of two similar species, African and Asian elephants, with muscular, dexterous trunks. These species’ faces share many similarities, but have distinctly different ear size and trunk morphology—areas controlled by the facial nucleus. The authors used varied methods, matched to the available elephant material, including Nissl staining, cell counting, axonal osmium tetroxide stains, somata drawings, cell fiber counting, and nerve tracing to examine the facial nucleus in specimens from African (n=4) and Asian elephants (n=4 elephants). Stereo Investigator^® software was used to acquire images of thin sections, conduct stereological procedures, and measure cell size and axon diameter.

Two methods were used to quantify cell populations in the elephant facial nucleus, an unbiased stereology approach and a model-based stereology strategy that consisted of complete counts of cell pieces in every tenth section were used. Using unbiased stereology, the researchers counted ~200-300 cells per specimen with the Stereo Investigator optical fractionator probe. To confirm their results, the research team next counted ~5000–8,000 cells and cell fragments per specimen, then corrected for double-counted cells. The results were equivalent; however, the unbiased stereology approach was much less time consuming.

The researchers found that the facial nucleus in elephants is much larger than in most mammals and it is comprised of approximately five-fold more neurons, but at significantly lower neuronal density. African elephants were found to have more neurons in the medial facial subnucleus than Asian elephants, consistent with their much larger and more expressive ears. Dorsal and lateral facial subnuclei, which control movement of the trunk, were elongated compared to other vertebrate mammals and contained many more neurons than land-based species. Interestingly, these regions had a distinct proximal-to-distal cells size increase. Comparison with other species and between newborn and adult elephants suggest that this increase in size is needed for to support the extreme axonal volumes associated with trunk innervation. These cell-size gradients were found to be a unique feature of the elephant facial nucleus. Finally, the research team identified a high-density motor fovea that they believe are associated with the tip of the trunk in African elephants. Asian and African elephants’ trunks differ in that Asian elephants have one dorsal trunk finger and they tend to engage much of their trunk in grasping objects by wrapping them in their trunks, whereas African elephants’ trunks have dorsal and ventral fingers that are often used to pinch objects. Their work suggests that African elephants have more neurons associated with the trunk tip than do Asian elephants and that control of African elephants’ trunk fingers resides in the motor foveae they identified.

The research described here relied heavily on cell-count data that was most efficiently obtained using the optical fractionator probe in Stereo Investigator^®. The authors found strong relationships between the number, density, and size of neurons and the position and function of elephant facial morphology. Their results pose interesting avenues for future research, including the role of ear movement in “auditory and infrasound perception” and follow-up studies on the cell-size differences found in the putative trunk representation in the facial nucleus and how these differences may be involved with elephants’ presumed need to compensate for inherent nerve conduction delays associated with their large size.

Learn more about industry-leading Stereo Investigator^® systems for image acquisition and stereological studies.

View our webinar that introduces Stereo Investigator^® and unbiased stereology.

Reference:

Kaufmann, L. V., Schneeweiß, U., Maier, E., Hildebrandt, T., & Brecht, M. (2022). Elephant Facial Motor Control. Science Advances, 8(43). https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abq2789

The post Unprecedented study reveals structure-function adaptations in the facial nucleus of elephants appeared first on MBF Bioscience.

At Dr. Patrick R. Hof’s lab at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, researchers imaged the cerebral cortex using light-sheet fluorescence microscopy and quantified the number of neurons, including those that express proteins involved in Alzheimer’s disease and schizophrenia, using the Image Volume Fractionator¹. This work marks the beginning of an important and ambitious project to build an atlas of cortical cells, using a multi-resolution imaging pipeline. At the pipeline’s highest level of resolution, both the Image Volume Fractionator, for use with thick sections of cleared tissue, and the Optical Fractionator, for much thinner sections, are being used to estimate cell number. The researchers will also use automatic cell detection and plan to compare results obtained using the three methods.

In the paper A Multimodal Imaging and Analysis Pipeline for Creating a Cellular Census of the Human Cerebral Cortex¹, the authors describe the beginning of the effort to build a census of the human cerebral cortex, a laminar structure, that contains layers comprised of different cell types visible using high resolution microscopy. There are a number of different neuronal cell types in each layer, including projection neurons and interneurons, as well as excitatory and inhibitory neurons. Layers can be identified based on different proteins contained in certain cells using fluorescence immunohistochemistry. Calretinin, a calcium-binding protein, is found in a subpopulation of the inhibitory interneurons that contain GABA. Neurofilament protein, which can be found in the cytoskeleton, makes up 30 percent of cortex cells. Parvalbumin, another calcium-binding protein, is also found in a subset of cortical cells.

The cells in the cortex have a purpose that is supported by their neurochemical and anatomical characteristics. Here are two examples involving Alzheimer’s disease and schizophrenia. Calretinin-positive cells in the cortex are spared in Alzheimer’s disease², but neurofilament protein-positive cells degenerate, and that degeneration may predict cognitive decline³. The parvalbumin-containing basket cell is an inhibitory GABAergic interneuron in the cortex that inhibits the main output cell—the pyramidal neuron. Problems with this cell type may affect gamma oscillations, leading to the deficits in cognitive control that accompany schizophrenia⁴.

Wouldn’t it be valuable to have an atlas or census of the cortex that is “zoomable” like a GPS map, and shows the cell types and their connections? Hof. et.al., demonstrate that this is possible using three imaging techniques at increasing resolutions (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1 The three imaging modalities used in this study. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is the lowest resolution. Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) is the mid-resolution. Light Sheet Fluorescence Microscopy (LSFM) is the highest resolution. The Image Volume Fractionator probe is carried out using LSFM. Those images are registered to eliminate distortion to help match them to OCT and the MRI images.

At the most highly resolved level, LSFM, two unbiased stereology techniques are used to build a census inside the atlas: the Optical Fractionator and the new, Image Volume Fractionator. The latter is made possible by tissue clearing methods, which in turn allows for the use of tissue sections that are, in this case, 10 times thicker than for the Optical Fractionator (Fig. 2).

Fig. 2 The Image Volume Fractionator (IVF) was designed to be used on thick sections or large intact specimens. It is much more efficient than working on traditional histological sections that were not cleared and therefore need to be, in this case, 10 times thinner. N is the estimate of number of cells. Systematic random sampling and disector rules are followed while counting.

Since the LSFM images are ten times thicker than the thinner sections needed in the absence of tissue clearing, counting with the Image Volume Fractionator probe can be done more quickly. It is much more efficient to count cells in one large image than in ten separate thinner tissue sections. There is also less sectioning artifact, which helps with registering the higher resolution LSFM images back to the larger volume MRI images.

We are excited to see this new use of the Image Volume Fractionator, which increases efficiency and reduces imaging distortions from physical sectioning. The potential that cleared tissue offers for increasing efficiency is great, but is still largely untapped. As this method is used more frequently, we look forward to hearing feedback from the research community to further improve the capabilities and usability of the Image Volume Fractionator in Stereo Investigator – Cleared Tissue Edition.

References:

1) A Multimodal Imaging and Analysis Pipeline for Creating a Cellular Census of the Human Cerebral Cortex 2021, Constantini, et al., https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.10.20.464979v1

2) Hof, P. R., Nimchinsky, E. A., Celio, M. R., Bouras, C. & Morrison, J. H. Calretinin, Immunoreactive neocortical interneurons are unaffected in Alzheimer’s disease. 861 Neurosci Lett 152, 145-148 (1993).

3) Bussiere, T. et al. Progressive degeneration of nonphosphorylated neurofilament protei enriched pyramidal neurons predicts cognitive impairment in Alzheimer’s disease: Stereologic analysis of prefrontal cortex area 9. Journal of Comparative Neurology (2003).

4) Glausier, J. R., Fish, K. N. & Lewis, D. A. Altered parvalbumin basket cell inputs in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of schizophrenia subjects. Mol Psychiatry 19, 30-36 (2014). Lewis, D. A., Curley, A. A., Glausier, J. R. & Volk, D. W. Cortical parvalbumin interneurons and cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia. Trends Neurosci 35, 57-67 (2012).

The post Researchers quantify cortical cell numbers in cleared tissue with new unbiased stereology technique appeared first on MBF Bioscience.