title: Nondestructive volumetric imaging of tissue microstructure with benchtop x-ray phase-contrast tomography and critical point drying.
abstract: The in vitro investigation of many optically opaque biological microstructures requires 3D analysis at high resolution over a large field of view. We demonstrate a new nondestructive volumetric imaging technique that eliminates the structural and computational limitations of conventional 2D optical microscopy by combining x-ray phase-contrast tomography with critical point drying sample preparation. We experimentally demonstrate the enhancement of small features afforded by phase-contrast imaging and show the contrast improvement afforded by the drying of a hydrated specimen. We further demonstrate the biological application of this technique by imaging the microstructure of the accommodative apparatus in a primate eye using a benchtop phase-contrast tomography system.
authors.forename: Adam M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Zysk
authors.forename: Alfred B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Garson
authors.forename: Qiaofeng
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Eric M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Brey
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Jovan G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Brankov
authors.forename: Miles N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Wernick
authors.forename: Jerome R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Kuszak
authors.forename: Mark A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Anastasio