State of the art technology for biomedical imaging
A convenient technology to quantify three-dimensional (3D) morphological features would have widespread applications in biomedical research. Now, researchers from Umea University in Sweden presented a new method for 3D imaging and quantification of biological preparations ten times larger than the limit for traditional confocal microscopes.
Traditional biological imaging techniques are limited by several factors, such as the optical properties of the tissue and access to biological markers. In this connection, a major challenge has been the creation of three –dimensional images of the expressions of specific genes and proteins in large biological preparations. It has been equally complicated to try to measure the mass/volume of cells or structures that express a specific protein in a specific organ for example.
OPT imaged adult pancreata from a wild-type (left) and overt diabetic NOD mouse (right) depicting insulin labeled Islets of Langerhans (red). The specimen are approx. 1.3 x 0.7 cm.
(Umea Center for Molecular Medicine)
Based on combined improvements in sample preparation, tomographic imaging and computational processing, the researchers present a procedure that makes it possible to create 3D images of specifically dyed preparation that are one centimetre of size, eg. adult mouse organs.
Virtual clipping of OPT imaged intact adult mouse pancreas (wild-type) labeled for insulin.
(Umea Center for Molecular Medicine)
The potential of this technique was demonstrated by following the degradation of insulin-producing cells in intact pancreases from a mouse model for type-1 diabetes. In this case the team around Ulf Ahlgren showed a direct connection between the volume of the remaining insulin-producing cells and the development of symptoms of diabetes.
For further information, please have a look at http://ucmm.cs.it-norr.com/default.asp?id=1007&PTID=&refid=1018
This article was published on 04/01/2007