Imaging in developmental biology

Biological imaging studies of fetal development are frequently conducted on small laboratory animals, which offer the advantages of rapid reproductive cycle and multiparity. The first section of this chapter will screen the most widely used animal models. Animal models aiming to study human physiology or disease by noninvasive imaging should exhibit along with genetic, anatomical, and physiological similarities to humans, also the ability to provide information using available imaging modalities. Many developmental studies utilized the rapid reproduction, easy access, and optical clarity of developing avian and fish embryos for high-resolution fluorescence microscopy, while studies of mammals were frequently limited to ex vivo imaging. However, over the last years, new imaging tools allow in vivo monitoring of development also in the mouse, which is the most common mammalian model for the study of development, genetics, immune response, pathology, neurology, and cellular mechanisms of action.