High-resolution time-resolved 3D optical microscopy inside the beating zebrafish heart using prospective optical gating

The ability to image inside the naturally-beating zebrafish heart is becoming increasingly attractive for developmental and functional biological investigations, but some form of synchronization is required in order to acquire consistent 3D datasets. We describe our real-time synchronized selective plane illumination microscope (SPIM), and show results including the non-invasive acquisition of time-resolved 3D fluorescence images ("4D" imaging) of the naturally-beating embryonic zebrafish heart. We will also describe the extension of this technique to synchronized optical intervention.