Functional immunoimaging: the revolution continues

Nat Rev Immunol. 2012 Dec;12(12):858-64. doi: 10.1038/nri3342.

Abstract

Ten years ago, in 2002, the introduction of dynamic in vivo imaging to immunologists set a new standard for studying immune responses. In particular, two-photon imaging has provided tremendous insights into immune cell dynamics in various contexts, including infection, cancer, transplantation and autoimmunity. Whereas initial studies were restricted to the migration of and interactions between immune cells, recent advances are bringing intravital imaging to a new level in which cell dynamics and function can be investigated simultaneously. These exciting developments further broaden the applications of immunoimaging and provide unprecedented opportunities to probe and decode immune cell communication in situ.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cell Communication
  • Humans
  • Image Cytometry / methods
  • Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / methods
  • Immunity, Cellular*
  • Mice
  • Microscopy, Confocal / methods
  • Microscopy, Fluorescence / methods
  • Staining and Labeling / methods*
  • Time-Lapse Imaging / methods