Microscopic imaging of extended tissue volumes

1. Detailed information about three-dimensional structure is key to understanding biological function. 2. Confocal laser microscopy has made it possible to reconstruct three-dimensional organization with exquisite resolution at cellular and subcellular levels. 3. There have been few attempts to acquire large image volumes using the confocal laser scanning microscope. 4. Previously, we have used manual techniques to construct extended volumes (several mm in extent, at 1.5 microm voxel size) of myocardial tissue. 5. We are now developing equipment and efficient automated methods for acquiring extended morphometric databases using confocal laser scanning microscopy.