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 microscope configurations.
THE VIP-box
Disadvantages of the current imaging methods


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 (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.
Design of the VIP-box

The VIP-box in action

APPLICATIONS
Developmental biology
The VIP-box makes possible the analysis of the apical hook opening



The spatio-temporal resolution provided is sufficient for nucleus tracking even in small plant organs like root hairs (left) and the hypocotyl (right)
Biosensors imaging

pH imaging using the Apo-pHusion biosensor (Gettings et al., 2012).
Basic pH: red
Acidic pH: blue