ClearScope®– The Light Sheet Theta Microscope

Light sheet theta microscope system for imaging cleared specimens of nearly any size at subcellular resolution
MBF Bioscience > ClearScope®– The Light Sheet Theta Microscope

Product Overview

ClearScope is a revolutionary light sheet theta microscope system designed to quickly and easily image cleared specimens of nearly any size at subcellular resolution. Its patented technology has been developed through a collaboration between Dr. Raju Tomer at Columbia University and MBF Bioscience. ClearScope is designed to meet the unique challenges inherent to imaging cleared organs and brain specimens with high-resolution optics capable of distinguishing and obtaining quantifiable imaging data pertaining to cells (e.g. neurons, glial cells), vessels and subcellular structures like dendritic spines.

This image shows the front of the light sheet microscope called ClearScope
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Key Benefits

Versatile Light Sheet Imaging

ClearScope provides a unique combination of speed, 3D resolving power, tissue depth penetration, and low phototoxicity compared to confocal and multiphoton microscopy. The patented Light Sheet Theta Microscopy geometry is suitable for imaging a wide array of samples from embryos, to whole mouse brains up to large slabs of primate brain tissue. Virtually all clearing techniques are compatible with ClearScope via its Intelligent Refractive Index Compensation (IRIC). The modular hardware design allows for scanning of biologic structures at a variety of magnifications (4x-25x) and up to 7 laser wavelengths customizable to researcher needs.

Move Your Research Forward with Advanced Technology

ClearScope is your complete light sheet imaging solution designed with automation and efficiency in mind to help researchers increase scientific throughput without having to be an expert in optics, writing software or hardware control. For those users who want to experiment with imaging parameters and explore innovative ways of imaging cleared tissue specimens, the advanced user mode of ClearScope provides full control over all of the hardware components. A basic user mode for simplified operation includes automated light sheet optimization tools and streamlined workflows.

ClearScope has been developed with support from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Maximum Imaging Depth 12mm (working distance depends on choice of objective lens)
Maximum Specimen Size • 114mm x 75mm x 12mm with standard stage
• 150mm x 100mm x 12mm with ext. travel stage
Refractive index range 1.38 – 1.56 (i.e. compatible with CLARITY, CUBIC, Scale, iDisco, BABB, etc.)
Horizontal (XY) optical resolution 0.325 μm (with 20x objective lens)
Laser wavelengths 405 / 488 / 561 / 640 nm  standard; (customizable up to seven lasers)
Specimen chambers for whole mouse or rat brains, tissue slabs from primates and human specimens, plus custom chambers available for other size specimens
Single field-of-view pixel resolution 2048 x 2048 pixels
Image digitization 16 bit
Light sheet thickness 2 - 6μm depending on optics
Peak quantum efficiency (QE) 82% @ 560nm

Detection Objective Lens:

Magnification  Numerical Aperture Working Distance (mm)
4x 0.28 10
10x 0.60 8
17x 0.40 12
20x 1.00 8
24x 0.70 10
25x 0.95 8

Download ClearScope product sheet here.

This is a light sheet microscope poster.

Image Large and Small Intact Brains using Light Sheet Theta Microscopy

Who Is Using MBF Products?

MBF products are used across the globe by the most prestigious laboratories. 

News About ClearScope

Cited in Peer Reviewed Scientific Publications

MBF’s products utility is underscored by the number of references it receives in the worlds most important scientific publications. See examples below:

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Will ClearScope work with the clearing technique I used for my samples?

ClearScope is compatible with a wide array of tissue clearing protocols (e.g. Clarity, CUBIC, iDisco, uDisco, SeeDB, Sca/e, etc…) using intelligent refractive index compensation (IRIC). ClearScope automatically adjusts the depth of the light sheet as a function of the refractive index and depth of the tissue sample, enabling a single detector objective to image specimens cleared with various clearing techniques. Users can select the appropriate configuration settings for their tissue sample easily within the intuitive GUI.

How are samples mounted in the ClearScope system?

The ClearScope system supports a variety of specimen chambers as well as standard slide sizes. Chambers are specifically designed to accommodate the dual oblique light sheets and separate the tissue specimen from the immersion media while minimizing the required volume of costly clearing reagents. Chambers and slides are loaded into the immersion media reservoir using specimen holders that precisely locate the sample in a repeatable manner using a magnetic/mechanical detent, facilitating repeated imaging experiment capability. Customized chambers/holders are available for your specific applications.

Does the ClearScope System provide any tools to visualize my image data?

The ClearScope software includes a highly versatile 3D visualization environment and a full suite of image optimization tools with state-of-the-art functionalities to support your analysis and publication needs. A quick preview mode enables you to visualize multi-TB image volumes immediately following acquisition. Advanced image stitching produces 3D image volumes suitable for quantitative analysis to produce accurate data for analyzing morphometry, cell populations, sub-cellular processes, vasculature and fluorescence properties.

What is Light Sheet Theta Microscopy (LSTM)?

At the core of the patented LSTM technology is the use of dual illumination pathways oblique to the specimen and detection pathway. This provides ClearScope with the ability to image thicker tissue specimens over a large lateral area (XY) at higher optical resolutions while maintaining fast imaging speed, high imaging quality, and low photo-bleaching. Two intersecting light sheets form an ultra-thin light sheet (2-6um) that optimizes axial image resolution and quality, produces uniform illumination and reduces out of focus features.

What storage solutions are available for handling the large data files generated by ClearScope?

Optimized data storage systems with fast transfer rates take the stress out of working with multi-TB image datasets.  MBF Bioscience offers high performance imaging workstations coupled to large capacity, expandable RAID networked attached storage units using 10GB/sec network connections for fast data transfer improving productivity. We can custom configure a network storage solution tailored to your lab's needs.

What is the optical sectioning capability of ClearScope?

The axial resolution is dependent on the depth of field of the detection objective and the thickness of the light sheet used for imaging the sample. ClearScope can be configured with a variety of detection objectives, ranging from 4x/0.28NA to 25x/.95NA. The optical sectioning capability of lower NA objectives can be significantly improved by the thin light sheet excitation of the sample, whereas higher NA objectives are limited by the depth of field of the objective itself (which is inversely proportional to the square of the detection NA). In both cases, ClearScope synchronizes scanning of the thinnest part of the light sheet with the rolling shutter exposure of the camera to optimize image quality and improve the signal to noise ratio.

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Our service sets us apart, with a team that includes Ph.D. neuroscientists, experts in microscopy, stereology, neuron reconstruction, and image processing.  We’ve also developed a host of additional support services, including:

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At MBF, we’ve spent decades understanding the needs of researchers and their labs — and have a suite of products and solutions that have been specifically designed for the needs of today’s most important and advanced labs. Our commitment to you is to spend time with you discussing the needs of your lab — so that we can make sure the solutions we provide for you are exactly what you’ll need. It’s part of our commitment to supporting you — before, during, and after you’ve made your decision. We look forward to talking with you!

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