Figure 19.

General sketch of holder for inverted microscopes (option 2)

This stage holder allows flexibility of use with multiple custom-made mouse holders. However, its ‘open’ surfaces can be problematic for imaging both, young mice, and old (heavy) mice. For young mice, the lower and upper body might not reach the solid surfaces (resulting in the mouse’s body being mostly without support other than the window. This is problematic both, for imaging stability and the integrity of the window, and for mouse stability during imaging. For old/heavy mice, although the upper and lower surfaces will provide body support, this might not be enough to ensure window integrity. Therefore, examples of custom-made mouse holders include those with added support for the mouse body (e.g., for abdominal or pelvic). This is most suitable for liver, spleen, pancreas, placenta, g-WAT, and kidneys. A mouse schematic has been inserted for reference. Created with BioRender.com.