保罗·谢勒研究所Andreas T. Schaefer小组取得一项新突破。他们提出了脑组织超微结构的无损X线断层扫描。这一研究成果发表在2025年11月27日出版的国际学术期刊《自然—方法学》上。

在这里，该课题组展示了克服这一障碍的解决方案组合：该课题组主题为低温和稳定的样品阶段，量身定制的非刚性层析重建算法以及为核工业和航空航天工业开发的环氧树脂。组织样本对超过1.15 × 10¹⁰ Gy的辐射剂量有抵抗力，并且sub-40纳米各向同性分辨率可以在没有物理切片的情况下识别无主题脑组织中的轴突束、树突和突触。使用体积电子显微镜，该课题组人员证明x射线成像后组织超微结构保持完整。总之，这释放了X射线断层扫描在高分辨率组织成像方面的潜力。

研究人员表示，生物组织亚细胞细节图是理解器官功能的关键。X射线纳米层析成像是体积电子显微镜的一种很有前途的替代方法：它有可能在几天内以超微结构分辨率对毫米大小的样品进行无损成像。一个基本的障碍是成像所需的强X射线也会使组织样本变形和分解。

附：英文原文

Title: Nondestructive X-ray tomography of brain tissue ultrastructure

Author: Bosch, Carles, Aidukas, Tomas, Holler, Mirko, Pacureanu, Alexandra, Mller, Elisabeth, Peddie, Christopher J., Zhang, Yuxin, Cook, Phil, Collinson, Lucy, Bunk, Oliver, Menzel, Andreas, Guizar-Sicairos, Manuel, Aeppli, Gabriel, Diaz, Ana, Wanner, Adrian A., Schaefer, Andreas T.

Issue&Volume: 2025-11-27

Abstract: Maps of biological tissues at subcellular detail are key for understanding how organs function. X-ray nanotomography is a promising alternative to volume electron microscopy: it has the potential to nondestructively image millimeter-sized samples at ultrastructural resolution within a few days. A fundamental barrier is that the intense X-rays required for imaging also deform and disintegrate the tissue samples. Here we show a combination of solutions that overcome this barrier: We used a cryogenic and stable sample stage, tailored nonrigid tomographic reconstruction algorithms and an epoxy resin developed for the nuclear and aerospace industry. Tissue samples were resistant to radiation doses exceeding 1.15×1010Gy, and sub-40nm isotropic resolution allowed identifying axon bundles, dendrites and synapses in mouse brain tissue without physical sectioning. Using volume electron microscopy, we demonstrate that tissue ultrastructure remains intact after X-ray imaging. Together, this unlocks the potential of X-ray tomography for high-resolution tissue imaging.

DOI: 10.1038/s41592-025-02891-0

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41592-025-02891-0