C.L.I.P – CONTINUOUS LIVE IMAGING PLATFORM FOR C. elegans AT PHYSIOLOGICAL CONDITIONS

Studies of dynamic processes in Caerhohabditis elegans require the ability to image subcellular structures and thus immobilize animals continuously while providing them with nutrients for several hours. Standard techniques utilize glue or anesthetics, which alter physiology and prevent feeding. We present a platform to immobilize animals’ bodies for several hours for continuous or frequent imaging, while simultaneously allowing feeding of the animals. This platform uses the thermo-reversible sol-gel transition of the polymer Pluronic F127 to immobilize animals in a microfluidic array of traps with positional guides, which immobilize only the body, and leave the head free to move and feed.