High-speed 4D fluorescence light field tomography of whole freely moving organisms
Optica (2025)
1Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA., 2Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA., 3Department of Pharmacology & Cancer Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA., 4Department of Cell Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA., 5Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tandon School of Engineering, New York University, Brooklyn, NY, USA., 6Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA., 7Ramona Optics Inc., 1000 W Main St., Durham, NC 27701, USA.
We introduce ReFLeCT (Reflective Fourier Light Field Computed Tomography), a new imaging system that captures high-speed 4D videos of unrestrained, freely moving small organisms—such as zebrafish and fruit fly larvae—with volumetric rates up to 120 volumes per second.
Unlike traditional microscopes that require immobilizing the subject, ReFLeCT uses a unique array of 54 synchronized cameras and a large parabolic reflector to capture multi-angle images simultaneously, enabling the reconstruction of isotropic resolution, time-resolved 3D fluorescence data.
What can ReFLeCT do?
- 🐟 Record heartbeat, tail motion, eye movements, and jaw motion in living organisms without anesthesia.
- 📸 Capture 120 volumetric frames per second across multi-millimeter fields of view.
- 🔍 Achieve near-isotropic 3D resolution at micron scale.
- 🎥 Generate 4D reconstructions with both fluorescence and attenuation contrast.
- 🧠 Track complex behaviors across multiple organisms in parallel.
Featured Applications
- Real-time analysis of zebrafish heart function and fin movement.
- Behavioral observation of fruit fly larvae during spontaneous contractions.
- 3D quantification of eye gaze and jaw activity with sub-organism precision.
- Multi-organism tracking to study social interactions.