Customizable FDM-based zebrafish larva mold for live imaging

Area of Science:

• Developmental Biology
• Bioimaging
• Additive Manufacturing

Background:

• Accurate orientation of zebrafish larvae is crucial for high-resolution live imaging.
• Standard agarose mounting methods present challenges for reproducible larval positioning.
• Previous 3D-printing methods often rely on stereolithography (SLA).

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an improved, cost-effective 3D-printed tool for consistent zebrafish larval orientation.
• To enhance existing additive manufacturing techniques for zebrafish imaging applications.
• To facilitate reliable, long-term live imaging of multiple zebrafish larvae.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printing to create larval orientation molds.
• Applying a thin resin coating to enhance the surface smoothness and performance of the FDM prints.
• Designing molds with consistent, larval-shaped wells for dorsoventral orientation.
• Ensuring compatibility with standard glass-bottom imaging dishes and providing open-source design files for customization.

Main Results:

• The FDM-printed molds provide consistent and reproducible dorsoventral orientation of zebrafish larvae.
• The resin coating improves the surface quality and functionality of the 3D-printed orientation tools.
• The low-cost, customizable molds are suitable for standard imaging setups.
• The method enables reliable, long-term live imaging of multiple larvae.

Conclusions:

• Fused deposition modeling (FDM) with resin enhancement offers a practical and affordable alternative for creating zebrafish larval orientation tools.
• This approach streamlines live imaging workflows by improving larval positioning accuracy and reproducibility.
• The study highlights the expanding utility of low-cost additive manufacturing in biological research and imaging.