Olympus introduced a new 25x super-long-distance microscope objective designed to deliver vivid 3D images of structures 8mm deep. The 8mm objective is the second high-performance optic Olympus has designed for the Scaleview imaging technique first developed at the RIKEN Brain Science Institute in Japan.
The objective has been optimized to be used with the Scaleview-A2 reagent and the Olympus FluoView FV1000-MPE multiphoton microscope to collect images. The reagent can make tissue transparent and minimizes light scatter. Together, they can provide detailed images within brain and other tissues. Scientists envision the possibility of using the 25x, 8mm working distance objective for developmental biology studies and for imaging and mapping the brain. Because Scaleview-A2 eliminates light scattering, it doesn’t decrease the intensity of signals emitted by fluorescent proteins, without the need for mechanical sectioning.
Eliminating tissue slicing is another big advantage of this technique. Until now, most optical microscopy techniques required slicing dead biological tissue into thin sections, damaging the specimens and making it challenging to visualize how slices fit together. By eliminating most slicing, the connectivity of the brain and other organs can be imaged intact.
Press release: Olympus SCALEVIEW Microscope Objective Allows Imaging 8mm Deep – Further into Tissue Than Ever Possible Before
Abstract in Nature Neuroscience: Scale: a chemical approach for fluorescence imaging and reconstruction of transparent mouse brain
