MRI to Study Embryonic Development

Non-invasive imaging of embryonic development has been an ultimate goal for embryologists for many years. Due to advances in MRI hardware and software, the extremely high spatial resolution necessary to study embryos can now be obtained. Fixed embryos can be scanned to visualize the complex 3D morphology of the developing embryo in great detail, sometimes referred to as MR histology. As the sample remains intact, it is a suitable tool for the study of rare specimens, or for screening of huge numbers of transgenic embryos. In vivo MRI can be used for time course studies of either normal development or the progression of congenital malformations.