Simultaneous Multiview Light-sheet Microscopy

This visualization technique is based on a thin sheet of laser light that beams, stepwise, into different planes of a specimen. Janelia Farm research fellow Philipp Keller uses the technique to study developing fruit fly embryos embedded in slabs of agarose gel. The laser light causes the cells in the illuminated plane to fluoresce while a set of two or four cameras gather snapshots of every cell in the plane from several different angles. By taking pictures as the embryo rotates through the beam, Keller collects a set of planar views which are assembled into a dynamic three-dimensional depiction of the embryo at any given time during its 21 or more hours of development.

The simultaneous multiview microscope uses laser beams to illuminate specimens while two sCMOS cameras to the left and to the right of the central imaging chamber capture snapshots of the specimen’s cells from different angles.
Keller Lab / Janelia Farm Research Campus.

By following the color-coded cells of a Drosophila embryo (top) over time, each cell’s lineage becomes trackable (bottom) with simultaneous multi-view light sheet microscopy.
Keller Lab / Janelia Farm Research Campus.