Developmental Biology - Microscopy Imaging Solutions

Morphogenesis

Morphogenesis researchers study the molecular and cellular mechanisms that drive the development of an entire organism. It can also be studied in a mature organism focusing on tissue homeostasis, tissue regeneration and cancer cell morphogenesis.

Imaging live morphogenesis requires a highly sensitive microscope that can deliver images with extremely low light. Dragonfly combined with the high sensitivity on an EMCCD camera is the ideal choice to study morphogenic dynamics.

To address how gene expression affects morphogenesis, the Andor cryostat, the MicrostatN, or the Microstat He-R are ideal solutions to cut the sample with high precision. To ensure high productivity, image acquisition should be done, taking advantage of the high speed of Andor Spinning Disk confocals (BC43 or  Dragonfly). A large sensitive and Field of View sCMOS camera is also an important choice.

The image analysis will depend on the research topic:  Imaris for Tracking allows the tracking to track cell lineage, and Imaris for Cell Biologists can address colocalization of gene expression.

Embryogenesis

Embryogenesis is the development of an organism from egg to completion of the embryonic stage. 

Both Andor Benchtop and Dragonfly confocal microscopes are excellent tools for studying embryogenesis due to the large Field of View. Researchers can capture entire developing embryos from single-cell state to organogenesis. 

Dragonfly near-infra-red (NIR) lasers are an outstanding option for imaging live imaging the developing embryo. Address the mechanisms of asymmetric cell division with minimal light intensity using Dragonfly coupled to an EMCCD camera. 

With Andor Benchtop confocal, image early embryonic development of Zebrafish (or other large model organisms). Visualise the whole organism with DPC and localise the fluorescence by combining DPC with confocal imaging. 

Use optogenetics tools to address the fate of specific cell populations (Andor Mosaic). Local cell movements can be induced with stronger lasers pulses (Micropoint). Activate or sequester specific proteins and analyse their influence on meso, ecto and endoderm formation. 

For tracking cell lineages and cell movement through embryogenesis, analysing different cell subpopulations or even plotting the distribution of embryonic gene expression markers, Imaris for Tracking and Imaris for Cell Biologists provide the researchers with the necessary tools for image analysis quantification and 3D rendering

Plant Research

The number of questions posed to developmental plant biologists are enormous.

For Gene expression analysis aiming at generating a database of cell types and genome specificity, the sample needs to be sliced. MicrostatN, or the Microstat He-R, are ideal solutions to cut plant tissues.

The large Field of view of Andor Dragonfly combined with patented Uniform Borealis Illumination is ideal for imaging multiple colour plant samples. Back Illuminated sCMOS cameras can deliver the speed and the Field of view required to speed up the capture of the vast amount of experimental data. NIR lasers are ideal for imaging deep into sample tissues cutting through the troubles of scattering and autofluorescence.

Andor dragonfly and the Ixon EMCCD camera with SRRF-stream tackles the challenges of speed and diffraction-limited resolution in plant vesicle trafficking.

Due to their low noise on very long exposures, Ikon cameras are ideal for Bioluminescence studies, whereas IXon EMCCDs are ideal for single-molecule bioluminescence imaging due to high sensitivity.

Imaris for Cell Biologists allows the segmentation of different plant tissues and the segmentation of intracellular plant structures such as cell wall, cell membrane, nucleus, chloroplast, etc. In addition, the 3D rendering images can be accompanied by graphics that plot intercellular /intra-organelle distance in XYZ and other statistical measurements.

Organoids

Organoids are 3D structures that can replicate the complexity of an organ, and they are one of the most promising and most rapidly evolving tools in scientific research.

Due to its large field of view, uniform Borealis illumination, and acquisition speed, both Andor Confocal systems Andor Benchtop and Andor Dragonfly excel in imaging 3D organoids.  The Andor Benchtop is the best option for samples with four colours and up to 500 mm thick. For deeper imaging the researchers should choose Andor Dragonfly.

The large field of view and high dynamic range delivered by sona 4.2-11 is ideal for capturing all the emitted light  (high and low intensity) from the organoids.

 Low light live imaging of steam cell differentiation into organoid formation will require a highly sensitive camera such as the iXon EMCCD.

Optogenetics/photostimulation experiments can address the cell fate at the development from stem cell to an organoid. Mosaic is the ideal tool to locally activate one or more cells in multiple regions of the developing organoid.

As for protein recovery dynamics at specific cellular structures or defined regions of the organoids such as cell membrane, laser irradiation with Micropoint to FRAP-bleach the desired area will be the ideal solution.

Imaris for Cell biologists delivers all the tools required for organoid biologists, from tracking cell movements to identifying different cell populations and linage. All are available combined with robust statistics and stunning 3D rendering movies and images.

Vascular Research

Vascular research addresses how the blood vessels are formed and how the blood flows in the arteries and veins. It has applications from addressing vascularization on organ/organism development to cancer.

The Andor cryostats, the MicrostatN, or the Microstat He-R, are ideal solutions to cut the sample with high precision and address the blood vessel wall formation in fixed samples.

Andor high-speed multipoint confocal systems are coupled Borealis uniform illumination, which makes them perfect for acquiring instantaneously high-quality multi-tile images of cryo sliced vessels. When acquiring four colour samples, the Benchtop is the sensible choice. However, for more than four labels, the researchers should choose Dragonfly.

Benchtop confocal is coupled to an Andor sCMOS detector, and it can image live angiogenesis of zebrafish embryo for more the 48h. For faster imaging applications, researchers should use Andor Dragonfly. Dragonfly can acquire images of blood flow in vessels at high speeds (up to 400 frames per second). An sCMOS camera is ideal for acquiring images of these high-speed events.

Use Micropoint to damage the blood vessel and access speed of clot of the injury. Use Mosaic to address the diffusion of the activated proteins in the vessel wall.

Imaris for Neuroscientists is the ideal solution to track the vessel within the organs. Researchers can plot in 4D stats of vessels subjected to different treatments and perform 3D renderings of time-lapse imaging or imaged fixed tissues. In either case, Imaris delivers an inner look into the inside of the vessel.