Author: Zachary Woods, M.E.

While developing our next generation of electrophoretic tissue-processing devices, SmartBatch+, we have also been hard at work developing improvements to tissue clearing techniques – specifically delipidating samples. As explained here, lipid membranes need to be removed to render a sample optically transparent for lightsheet imaging. Tissue clearing techniques have long since sought to maximize optical… Continue reading Tissue Clearing Techniques: Introducing Clear+

As explained in several of our blogs, delipidation is a critical step in the tissue clearing process. Some form of lipid removal is present in almost all of the most popular clearing techniques, including CLARITY, iDISCO, SHIELD, and CUBIC. In the case of SHIELD and our technologies, the detergent Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate (SDS) is used… Continue reading How do detergents dissolve lipid membranes?

Judging clearing progression Mouse brain preserved with SHIELD before clearing. The sample has just started the delipidation process, with the edges clearing first. At about 50% clear, the sample has a dark, opaque center. This sample is almost fully delipidated, but there is a slight heterogeneity still remaining in the cerebellum. The sample appears homogeneous… Continue reading Beginner’s guide to tissue clearing with LifeCanvas products