(Universidad de Murcia. Departamento de Biología Celular e Histología, 2017) Poobalasingam, Thanushiyan; Salman, David; Li, Henry; Alçada, Joana; Dean, Charlotte H.
Our understanding of lung biology can be
greatly enhanced by studying embryonic and postnatal
lung development, and the perturbations which occur
during disease. Imaging techniques provide a unique
insight into these processes. A wide variety of imaging
techniques have been used to study the lungs at various
stages of development and disease, ranging from
histological stains to more novel techniques such as
single plane illumination microscopy (SPIM), intravital
microscopy (IVM), and micro-computed tomography
(micro-CT). Each of these tools can be used to elicit
different information about the lungs and each has its
own unique advantages and disadvantages for
pulmonary research. In this review we assess some of
the most commonly-used and novel imaging techniques
available for lung research today.