X-ray micro tomography of pathology tissue samples

National Heart, Lung, And Blood Institute

Investigators

Linked publications, trials & patents

Abstract

The specific aims of this project is to provide rapid 3D scouting for histology procedures, and provide sensitive and rapid measurements of tissue calcification with minimal disruption to the specimen so as to be compatible with the overall pathology workflow. We developed x-ray micro tomosynthesis, a microscopy version of the technology for 3D luggage screening at airports. X-ray imaging is a promising tool to meet the challenge since x-rays can penetrate thick samples that are opaque to visible light. With x-ray imaging, a determinant of tissue visibility is the flux density of photons that illuminate the sample. We explored a novel x-ray tomosynthesis method as a way to maximize this factor. It provided a stack of thousands of cross-sectional images at 7.3 m resolution in scans of 5 to 15 minutes. When compared with commercial micro CT systems (a widely-used laboratory technology), this method proved to be more efficient for flat shaped samples such as FFPE blocks in standard embedding cassettes and fresh tissue immersed in solution. It is able to measure the amount of calcification deposits in small tissue samples, such as a mouse aorta, at sub micro-gram sensitivity in a scan of less than a minute. In the past year, we used the technology to quantify vascular calcification in mouse models for Dr. Alan Remaley and Dr. Alexander Bocharovs labs. The work contributed to a recent publication by Dr. Remaleys lab. We developed an online calibration method to ensure the best image resolution for each scan. The manuscript titled "Online calibration of a linear micro tomosynthesis scanner" is being prepared, and preprint is available at arxiv.org.