title: X-ray phase microtomography with a single grating for high-throughput investigations of biological tissue.
abstract: The high-throughput 3D visualisation of biological specimens is essential for studying diseases and developmental disorders. It requires imaging methods that deliver high-contrast, high-resolution volumetric information at short sample preparation and acquisition times. Here we show that X-ray phase-contrast tomography using a single grating can provide a powerful alternative to commonly employed techniques, such as high-resolution episcopic microscopy (HREM). We present the phase tomography of a mouse embryo in paraffin obtained with an X-ray single-grating interferometer at I13-2 Beamline at Diamond Light Source and discuss the results in comparison with HREM measurements. The excellent contrast and quantitative density information achieved non-destructively and without staining using a simple, robust setup make X-ray single-grating interferometry an optimum candidate for high-throughput imaging of biological specimens as an alternative for existing methods like HREM.
authors.affiliation: Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0DE, UK; Department of Physics & Astronomy, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
authors.forename: Marie-Christine
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Zdora
authors.affiliation: Institute for Biomedical Engineering, ETH Zürich, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Joan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vila-Comamala
authors.affiliation: Biomaterials Science Center, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Basel, 4123 Allschwil, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Georg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schulz
authors.affiliation: Biomaterials Science Center, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Basel, 4123 Allschwil, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Khimchenko
authors.affiliation: Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht, 21502 Geesthacht, Germany.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hipp
authors.affiliation: University College London Institute of Cardiovascular Science, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
authors.forename: Andrew C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Cook
authors.affiliation: University College London Institute of Cardiovascular Science, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dilg
authors.affiliation: Paul Scherrer Institut, 5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: David
authors.affiliation: Paul Scherrer Institut, 5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Grünzweig
authors.affiliation: Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0DE, UK; School of Materials, University of Manchester, Manchester M1 7HS, UK; Department of Otolaryngology, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois 60611, USA.
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rau
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK.
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Thibault
authors.affiliation: Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0DE, UK.
authors.forename: Irene
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Zanette
keywords: (110.7440) X-ray imaging; (170.3880) Medical and biological imaging; (170.6960) Tomography; (180.7460) X-ray microscopy; (340.7450) X-ray interferometry