Combining confocal microscopy and optical coherence tomography for imaging in developmental biology

In-vivo Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) imaging of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster larval heart allows non invasive visualizations and assesment of its cardiac functions. To image Drosophila melanogaster heart, we have developed a dedicated imaging instrument able to provide simultaneous Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) and Laser Confocal Scanning Microscopy (LCSM) or Laser Scanning Fluorescence Microscopy (LSFM) images and can be used to produce B-scan OCT images. With this dual imaging system, the image of heart can be easily located in the specimen and the change of the heart shape in a cardiac cycle monitored. This technique therefore provides an excellent tool for large scale screen of candidate genes responsible for the contractility of the Drosophila heart. As this technique can also image the dynamic process of the heartbeat in a non-invasive fashion, it provides a new avenue to study the physiology of the heart function. En-face and B-scan OCT images of the Drosophila melanogaster heart showing its chambers have been obtained with our imaging instruments. Our results are consistent with detailed anatomical studies from the literature.