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Liebi et al. Small-angle scattering tensor tomography reveals biological nanostructures
DOI:10.1038/bonekey.2016.18
Biological samples are composed of molecules with complex orientation patterns at the nanomolecular level, which are difficult to study using existing imaging technology. In this study, Liebi et al. report a novel imaging method that should advance research across many fields, demonstrating its use to characterize human bone.
The new method is a combination of small-angle scattering and tensor tomography and can be used to investigate the nanoscale structures within 3D macroscopic samples without compromising their physiological integrity. The study demonstrates the power of the technique by looking at mineralized collagen fibrils within a sample of human trabecular bone, revealing detail of how the nanostructures are arranged with a spatial resolution of 25 micrometres.
The authors suggest that small-angle scattering tensor tomography can be used to study biological samples and to characterize smart or bio-inspired materials. Furthermore, they highlight that the technique has the potential to study the nanostructure of samples in situ, allowing the changes in structure that occur as a tissue functions or is put under stress.
Editor’s comment: This technological breakthrough allows the identification of the main 3D orientation and degree of alignment of mineralized collagen fibrils in single bone structural units. The work opens up outstanding perspectives for assessing structure-function relationships within the bone extracellular matrix and the elucidation of its cell-mediated synthesis.
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