[2] It is in many ways the optical equivalent of X-ray computed tomography or the medical CT scan.
Both medical CT and OPT compute 3D volumes based on transmission of the photon through the material of interest.
Common optical clearing agents include BABB and methyl salicylate (wintergreen).
In tandem with organs harvested from genetically modified mouse that express fluorescent proteins such as green fluorescent proteins, the emission mode of OPT can yield 3D genetic expression images of the mouse organ.
The technique has already contributed to a large number of studies aimed at addressing a broad range of biological questions in diverse systems such as human, mice, chicken, fly, zebrafish, and plants.