X-Ray Microscopy and Spectroscopy for Speciation of the Chemical Environment of Metal-Based Imaging Probes (A04)

• Subject Area: Physical Chemistry of Molecules, Liquids and Interfaces, Biophysical Chemistry
• Term: since 2018
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 372486779

In this project, we will use X-ray-based analytical techniques for the localization and identification of intravenously injected metal-based imaging probes in cells and tissues with a pathologically altered extracellular matrix (ECM) to gain a clearer comprehension of the underlying pathological processes. These techniques include laboratory soft X-ray microscopy, enabling nanoscale three-dimensional (3D) localization of the probes in relation to cell and tissue components and synchrotron-based scanning X-ray spectroscopy which enables sub-micron spatially resolved chemical speciation of metal-based nanoprobes in tissue. Our goal is to further develop and establish the emerging method laboratory soft X-ray microscopy as well as synchrotron-based X-ray spectromicroscopy as biomedical high-resolution (3D) imaging tools to work correlatively with other prominent structural (electron microscopy), functional (histology staining and visible light fluorescence microscopy) and elemental imaging methods (X-ray fluorescence microscopy, LA-ICP-MS). We will further implement intelligent machine learning algorithms for image analysis for structure identification, segmentation, registration, and correlation of X-ray imaging data sets.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1340: In vivo Visualization of Extracellular Matrix Pathology „Matrix in Vision“
• Applicant Institution: shared FU Berlin and HU Berlin through:; Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin
• Project Heads: Professorin Dr. Birgit Kanngießer; Dr. Christian Seim, since 7/2022