
Open-source light-sheet microscopes for imaging cleared tissue - XnoiVeX
http://mesospim.org/#
======
ptrott2017
Having built a prototype SPIM microsocope, based on the original OpenSPIM
([https://openspim.org/](https://openspim.org/)) project, this looks a
fantastic project and nicely designed piece of kit.

Its especially great that the team are actively building a community around
the project for exchange of ideas between lightsheet developers and end users.

For anyone interested and wanting to deep dive for example on parts list or
laser selection recommend reading the wiki here:
[https://github.com/mesoSPIM/mesoSPIM-hardware-
documentation/...](https://github.com/mesoSPIM/mesoSPIM-hardware-
documentation/wiki)

Very cool project - thanks X for posting this.

------
justinclift

      How much does a mesoSPIM cost?
      Depending on the configuration, a mesoSPIM Version 5 costs between 169600 to 239600 USD
    

Ouch.

~~~
ptrott2017
Yup it is not a cheap area of microscopy - commercial SPIM systems typically
range from $250K to around $1 million (though there are some significantly
cheaper than this) and you can build them for significantly less.

I think the hope with both OpenSPIM and mesoSPIM initiatives is by getting
design information out and plans out as open source, the community has a
reference system they can experiment with and find mechanisms that work to
help bring the price of the systems down. Typically, most expensive parts are
things like cameras and detection objectives. If you can scrounge parts, find
alternative units (cheaper cameras etc.) you can find means to significantly
reduce cost. Similarly, if you are trying to push the boundaries - you can see
where you can gain potential advantage by substituting sub-systems for greater
resolution units etc.

My hope is that through community initiatives like OpenSPIM and MesoSPIM, the
community can reduce costs of these systems by an order of magnitude over the
coming years, while at the same time, using similar reference systems other
leading teams can push the boundaries and highlight what is possible.

