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Tissue stiffness mapping by light sheet elastography
Min Zhu1, Kaiwen Zhang1,2, Evan C Thomas1
1Program in Developmental and Stem Cell Biology, Research Institute, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, M5G 0A4, Canada.
Science Advances
|March 14, 2025
Summary
We developed light sheet elastography, a noninvasive technique to map tissue stiffness in developing embryos with cellular resolution. This method allows dynamic monitoring of mechanical changes during crucial developmental processes.
Area of Science:
- Biophysics
- Developmental Biology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Tissue stiffness is a critical regulator of morphogenesis.
- Measuring dynamic changes in tissue stiffness in vivo is essential for understanding developmental mechanisms.
- Existing in vivo methods for measuring tissue properties face limitations in resolution, invasiveness, and equipment requirements.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce a noninvasive method for in toto stiffness mapping of embryonic tissues.
- To achieve high spatial and temporal resolution in measuring dynamic tissue mechanics.
- To enable the study of the mechanical basis of morphogenesis.
Main Methods:
- Coupling low-frequency shear waves with light sheet fluorescence microscopy.
- Adapting commercially available instruments for the technique.
- Light sheet elastography (LSE) for noninvasive mechanical property assessment.
Main Results:
- Achieved in toto stiffness mapping of organ-stage mouse and zebrafish embryos at cellular resolution.
- Demonstrated time-lapse stiffness mapping during tissue remodeling.
- Enabled stiffness mapping of the beating embryonic heart.
Conclusions:
- Light sheet elastography is a versatile, noninvasive tool for probing embryonic tissue mechanics.
- The method overcomes limitations of existing techniques, offering improved resolution and accessibility.
- This advancement provides new opportunities to investigate the role of mechanical forces in development.
