ABSTRACT
The properties of opaque tissues include high scattering and absorption which restrict the passage of light into deep native tissues. Tissue-clearing methods allow optics-based analysis at subcellular levels from specific organs to the entire body of small animals. When paired with light-sheet microscopy, tissue-clearing methods can expedite sample imaging and analysis in clinical settings compared to conventional immunohistochemistry by several orders of magnitude. Labeling chemistry allows a specific and robust antibody label for whole organ and thick tissues. In addition, advances in image and data processing allow scientists to extract comprehensive data from structural and functional tissue networks at cellular and subcellular levels. In this Chapter, we discuss how tissue-clearing methods provide insight on unbiased, system-level tissue patterns. We also cover future opportunities for use of computational approaches and imaging processing integrated with tissue-clearing methods in tissue engineering.
