An Imaging pipeline for screening mouse embryos. (360G-Wellcome-087743_Z_08_Z)

We have established two innovative approaches for mouse embryo phenotyping. At Oxford, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides a high-throughput/low-resolution approach that can quickly identify abnormal tissue or organ morphology using fixed embryos; at NIMR, high resolution episcopic imaging (HREM), a low-throughput/high-resolution approach based on block face imaging of fixed embryos, provides extremely detailed morphology of whole embryos, with resolution approaching that obtained by hist ological analysis. We propose to establish an imaging pipeline that combines MRI and HREM analysis of whole mouse embryos. We will complement the existing Oxford MRI facility with a dedicated HREM facility at NIMR. This pipeline will be used to analyse embryos from ongoing mutagenesis screens in the mouse. The data collected will, for the first time, provide systematic and comprehensive imaging in a form that permits analysis at high resolution by both 2D and 3D methods. Such data will be pro vided to the research community as a resource to investigate any aspect of mouse embryo morphology and for identification of mutant lines in which the organ or tissue of interest is affected. Such a resource will facilitate others to exploit the use of mutagenesis programmes for studies of many aspects of embryo development.