Year: 2005
Type: article
Abstract: Current approaches to 3D imaging at subcellular resolution using confocal microscopy and electron tomography, while powerful, are limited to relatively thin and transparent specimens.To facilitate rapid and automated imaging of tissue specimens at the highest resolution, we are developing an alternative novel microscope technology that is capable of site-specific imaging of cellular and tissue specimens at spatial resolutions better than 100 nm.The principle of imaging is based on using a focused ion beam (FIB) to create a cut at a designated site in the specimen, followed by viewing the milled surface with a scanning electron beam.Iteration of these two steps several times thus results in the generation of a series of surface maps of the specimen at regularly spaced intervals.The 3D maps obtained with this sequential "slice-and-view strategy" has the potential to generate 3D maps of biological specimens at resolutions as high as ~ 50 nm in-plane and ~ 100 nm in the vertical direction.Besides the substantially higher resolution as compared to optical microscopy, the new technology provides a new tool for molecular imaging by simultaneously imaging cellular architecture and the spatial location of specifically targeted nanoparticle reagents such as those used in cancer diagnosis and treatment.
Source: Microscopy and Microanalysis
Authors: J Heymann, M Hayles, I Gestman, D Shi, B Lich, S Subramaniam
Language: English
Subfield: Biophysics
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W2039609408