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Problem to solve:

Coupling gene expression dynamics and chemical signalling to within-organ growth patterns from the macroscopic to the cellular scale remains a major challenge in plant biology. Indeed, entire seedlings cannot properly be imaged using conventional microcope configurations.

THE VIP-box

The VIP-box (Vertical Imaging of the Plants) is an open-source homemade and low-cost imaging plateform in which seedlings can be vertically grown and imaged over a long-time period and at high-throughput.

Principle of the VIP-box

Overview-of-the-vertical-microscope-setup-The-vertically-mounted-confocal-microscope_Q320.

Von Wangenheim et al., eLife 2017

Conventional imaging of plants induces many stresses:

Mecanical stresses due to the plant imaged between a slide and a coverslip.

Stresses due to gravitropism because imaged in horizontal position.

Phototoxicity induced by the power of the laser.

Phototropism periods not respected in long time experiments.

Confocal microscope setups for vertical imaging of the plants:

Require high skilled capabilities.

Only few home-made setups in the world..

Expensive.

The VIP-box in action

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