EasyIndex

Optimized refractive index matching

Delipidation and refractive index (RI) matching allow light to pass unhindered through the sample during microscopy, producing sharp, informative images throughout tissue volumes. In effect, tissue clearing refers to the combined process of delipidation and optical clearing via index matching.

Delipidated tissues will appear translucent, while cleared and RI-matched tissues (i.e. optically cleared tissues) will appear transparent — ideal for light sheet imaging with SmartSPIM.

Mouse brain

Rat lung

Mouse liver

Mouse spinal cord

Mouse kidney

Mouse heart

Cerebral organoid

Rat brain hemisphere

Mouse embryo

Optical clearing of intact tissues & sections

Our 500-mL bottle of EasyIndex can be used for up to 12 whole mouse brains or similarly sized intact tissue samples, or > two hundred 1 mm-thick tissue sections. We provide RI = 1.52 standard solutions with RI = 1.46 solution available on request.

EasyIndex is ideal for optical clearing of multiple tissue types, including samples processed with aqueous clearing methods and immunolabeled tissues.

Protocols

Documentation

Publications citing EasyIndex

2021:

Nobre et al. “MiRNA-Mediated Knockdown of ATXN3 Alleviates Molecular Disease Hallmarks in a Mouse Model for Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 3.” Nucleic Acid Therapeutics (December 2021).
Menzel et al. “Lymphocyte access to lymphoma is impaired by high endothelial venule regression.” Cell Reports (October 2021).
Foster et al. “The Mouse Cortico-Basal Ganglia-Thalamic Network.” Nature (October 2021).
Muñoz-Castañeda et al. “Cellular Anatomy of the Mouse Primary Motor Cortex.” Nature (October 2021).
Knights et al. “Acetylcholine-synthesizing macrophages in subcutaneous fat are regulated by β2-adrenergic signaling.” The EMBO Journal (August 2021).
Luchsinger et al. “Delineation of an insula-BNST circuit engaged by struggling behavior that regulates avoidance in mice.” Nature Communications (June 2021).
Benavidez et al. “Organization of the inputs and outputs of the mouse superior colliculus.” Nature Communications (June 2021).
Helseth et al. “Cholinergic neurons constitutively engage the ISR fordopamine modulation and skill learning in mice.” Science (April 2021).
Sweeney et al. “The melanocortin-3 receptor is a pharmacological target for the regulation of anorexia.” Science Translational Medicine (April 2021).
Bharat et al. “Early Outcomes After Lung Transplantation for Severe COVID-19: A Series of the First Consecutive Cases from Four Countries.” The Lancet Respiratory Medicine (March 2021).

2020:

Bharat et al. “Lung Transplantation for Patients with Severe COVID-19.” Science Translational Medicine 30 (November 2020).
Pop et al. “Evidence for Genetically Distinct Direct and Indirect Spinocerebellar Pathways Mediating Proprioception.” bioRxiv (August 2020).
Ogujiofor et al. “Motor Neurons Involved in Fine Motor Control Are Labeled by Tracing Atoh1-Lineage Neurons in the Spinal Cord.” bioRxiv (March 2020).

2019:

Wong et al. “Biomaterial Substrate-Derived Compact Cellular Spheroids Mimicking the Behavior of Pancreatic Cancer and Microenvironment.” Biomaterials (August 2019).
Swaney et al. “Scalable Image Processing Techniques for Quantitative Analysis of Volumetric Biological Images from Light-Sheet Microscopy.” bioRxiv (March 2019).

2018:

Saritas et al. “Optical Clearing in the Kidney Reveals Potassium-Mediated Tubule Remodeling.” Cell Reports (December 2018).