Benchtop MesoSPIM: a Next-generation Open-source Light-sheet Microscope for Cleared Samples

Overview

Journal Nat Commun

Specialty Biology

Date 2024 Mar 28

PMID 38538644

Authors

Nikita Vladimirov

Fabian F Voigt

Thomas Naert

Gabriela R Araujo

Ruiyao Cai

Anna Maria Reuss

Shan Zhao

Patricia Schmid

Sven Hildebrand

Martina Schaettin

Dominik Groos

Jose Maria Mateos

Philipp Bethge

Taiyo Yamamoto

Valentino Aerne

Alard Roebroeck

Ali Erturk

Adriano Aguzzi

Urs Ziegler

Esther Stoeckli

Laura Baudis

Soeren S Lienkamp

Fritjof Helmchen

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

In 2015, we launched the mesoSPIM initiative, an open-source project for making light-sheet microscopy of large cleared tissues more accessible. Meanwhile, the demand for imaging larger samples at higher speed and resolution has increased, requiring major improvements in the capabilities of such microscopes. Here, we introduce the next-generation mesoSPIM ("Benchtop") with a significantly increased field of view, improved resolution, higher throughput, more affordable cost, and simpler assembly compared to the original version. We develop an optical method for testing detection objectives that enables us to select objectives optimal for light-sheet imaging with large-sensor cameras. The improved mesoSPIM achieves high spatial resolution (1.5 µm laterally, 3.3 µm axially) across the entire field of view, magnification up to 20×, and supports sample sizes ranging from sub-mm up to several centimeters while being compatible with multiple clearing techniques. The microscope serves a broad range of applications in neuroscience, developmental biology, pathology, and even physics.

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