Enabling long-term studies of developing organs in zebrafish through quantitative phase imaging and virtual staining

QPI and virtual staining of live cells and tissues address the challenges of traditional multispectral fluorescent imaging, which requires labor-intensive labeling, limits throughput, and compromises cell health. We report VSNeuromast, a 3D virtual staining model for translating phase images into landmark organelles (nuclei and plasma membrane) in zebrafish neuromasts throughout development. Combined with segmentation and tracking, this approach enables extended imaging of developmental dynamics with minimal photodamage. Our results show that virtual staining rescues dim structures, corrects photobleaching, and provides detailed, prolonged observations of the developmental process, offering a powerful tool for in-vivo developmental biology imaging.