Peer-reviewedCC BY-NC-ND 4.0STAR Protocols
Preparation of mouse tumor slices for ex vivo two-photon microscopy
- 1Department of Immunology, Mayo Clinic, Phoenix, AZ 85054, USA
- 2Department of Cancer Biology, Mayo Clinic, Phoenix, AZ 85054, USA
Abstract
Immune cell behavior in tumors can be visualized in real time by imaging ex vivo tumor slices. Here, we present a protocol for preparing mouse tumor slices for ex vivo two-photon microscopy. We describe techniques for adoptive transfer of fluorescent T cells, generation of tumor slices by vibratome, time-lapse two-photon imaging, and quantitative analysis. This protocol provides a model system to study immune cell migration and interactions within solid tumor microenvironments without the technical challenges of intravital microscopy.
Related
- Protocol for imaging and analyzing the synaptic coverage of astrocytes with super-resolution STED microscopy in mouse brain slices
- Fully Two-Photon-Driven RESOLFT Microscopy for Super-Resolution Imaging inside Tissue
- Intravital 3-photon microscopy of leukocyte dynamics in the splenic white pulp
- Independent noise realizations enable morphologically agnostic image reconstruction in single-photon-sensitive microscopy
- Rapid, label-free differentiation of benign and malignant gastric lesions using two-photon microscopy and quantitative collagen analysis
BibTeX
@article{kwok2026preparation,
title = {{Preparation of mouse tumor slices for ex vivo two-photon microscopy}},
author = {Tina Kwok and Jessica N. Lancaster},
journal = {STAR Protocols},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.xpro.2026.104915},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xpro.2026.104915},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Preparation of mouse tumor slices for ex vivo two-photon microscopy
AU - Tina Kwok
AU - Jessica N. Lancaster
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/24
JO - STAR Protocols
DO - 10.1016/j.xpro.2026.104915
UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xpro.2026.104915
AB - Immune cell behavior in tumors can be visualized in real time by imaging ex vivo tumor slices. Here, we present a protocol for preparing mouse tumor slices for ex vivo two-photon microscopy. We describe techniques for adoptive transfer of fluorescent T cells, generation of tumor slices by vibratome, time-lapse two-photon imaging, and quantitative analysis. This protocol provides a model system to study immune cell migration and interactions within solid tumor microenvironments without the technical challenges of intravital microscopy.
SN - 2666-1667
ER -