title: Imaging windows for long-term intravital imaging: General overview and technical insights.
abstract: Intravital microscopy is increasingly used to visualize and quantitate dynamic biological processes at the (sub)cellular level in live animals. By visualizing tissues through imaging windows, individual cells (e.g., cancer, host, or stem cells) can be tracked and studied over a time-span of days to months. Several imaging windows have been developed to access tissues including the brain, superficial fascia, mammary glands, liver, kidney, pancreas, and small intestine among others. Here, we review the development of imaging windows and compare the most commonly used long-term imaging windows for cancer biology: the cranial imaging window, the dorsal skin fold chamber, the mammary imaging window, and the abdominal imaging window. Moreover, we provide technical details, considerations, and trouble-shooting tips on the surgical procedures and microscopy setups for each imaging window and explain different strategies to assure imaging of the same area over multiple imaging sessions. This review aims to be a useful resource for establishing the long-term intravital imaging procedure.
authors.affiliation: Cancer Genomics Netherlands; Hubrecht Institute-KNAW and University Medical Centre Utrecht; CT Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Alieva
authors.affiliation: Center for Cancer Research and Center for Regenerative Medicine; Massachusetts General Hospital; Richard B. Simches Research Center; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA USA; Broad Institute of Harvard and Massachusetts Institute for Technology; Cambridge, MA USA.
authors.forename: Laila
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ritsma
authors.affiliation: Center for Systems Biology; Massachusetts General Hospital; Richard B. Simches Research Center; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA USA.
authors.forename: Randy J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Giedt
authors.affiliation: Center for Systems Biology; Massachusetts General Hospital; Richard B. Simches Research Center; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA USA; Department of Systems Biology; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA USA.
authors.forename: Ralph
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Weissleder
authors.affiliation: Cancer Genomics Netherlands; Hubrecht Institute-KNAW and University Medical Centre Utrecht; CT Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Jacco
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: van Rheenen
keywords: abdominal imaging window; cranial imaging window; dorsal skinfold chamber; intravital microscopy; mammary imaging window; surgery