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Updated: Mar 19, 2026
07:49
Imaging Cleared Intact Biological Systems at a Cellular Level by 3DISCO
Published on: July 7, 2014
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Chemical Principles in Tissue Clearing and Staining Protocols for Whole-Body Cell Profiling
Kazuki Tainaka1, Akihiro Kuno2,3, Shimpei I Kubota1
1Department of Systems Pharmacology, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan.
Annual Review of Cell and Developmental Biology
|June 15, 2016
Summary
Whole-body cell profiling is now possible using advanced tissue clearing and staining techniques. These methods enable detailed cellular analysis across entire organisms, aiding disease research.
Area of Science:
- Biotechnology
- Cell Biology
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Mammalian bodies contain billions of cells per cubic centimeter, posing significant challenges for whole-body cell (WBC) profiling.
- Recent advancements in tissue-clearing technology, optical imaging, and image informatics have enabled comprehensive cellular analyses in whole organs and organisms.
Purpose of the Study:
- This review focuses on the chemical principles underlying current tissue-clearing and staining techniques for WBC profiling.
- The aim is to enhance understanding of the mechanisms driving these technologies.
Main Methods:
- Tissue clearing involves key chemical steps: fixation, permeabilization, decolorization, and refractive index (RI) matching.
- Cellular phenotyping relies on visualizing fluorescent reporters or staining with dyes, antibodies, or nucleic acid probes.
Main Results:
- The chemical principles of tissue clearing and staining are crucial for enabling WBC profiling.
- These techniques facilitate the visualization and analysis of cellular structures and functions within intact tissues.
Conclusions:
- Despite remaining challenges, tissue clearing and staining offer powerful tools for WBC profiling.
- Applications include mapping intercellular circuits across organs and studying dynamic cellular processes in diseases like cancer and autoimmune disorders.
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