Tag: biological research

Capturing Ghosts

Capturing Ghosts

Quantum “ghost imaging” technique paves the way for nanoscale-resolution images at a lower X-ray dose.

A group of researchers led by scientists at the National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II), a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science user facility at DOE’s Brookhaven National Laboratory, is exploring a quantum-inspired imaging approach that could set the stage for obtaining high-resolution data while reducing X-ray exposure. The method relies on pairs of quantum-entangled X-ray photons, linked particles of light from the same origin that share properties and information. In each entangled pair, one photon interacts with a sample while its partner does not. By analyzing these pairs, the team demonstrated that information carried by the untouched photon can be used to form an image, complementing information obtained from its partner. This early proof of concept could ultimately enable longer, lower-dose studies of delicate biological materials, such as plant tissues, and may one day inform lower-dose medical imaging. Their results were published in Optica.

Seeing “ghosts”

Quantum “ghost” imaging is a technique that is as intriguing as its name suggests. In conventional X-ray imaging, X-ray photons directly interact with the sample being studied. Ghost imaging, instead, uses pairs of photons that are created together and share linked properties, known as quantum correlations. One photon from each pair travels through the sample, while its partner never interacts with it at all. Despite this, the untouched photon behaves as if it has encountered the sample.

Read more on the BNL website

Image: A conceptual schematic of “ghost imaging” displays the samples being imaged, which include a cat-shaped tungsten test pattern and an E. cardamomum seed. The objects are placed inside a ring on the lower two detector chips, while the upper chips are left open. By measuring paired X-ray signals at the same time, the system produces two matching images.

Credit: Valerie A. Lentz/Brookhaven National Laboratory

New method of data quality improvement by noise removal

New method of data quality improvement by noise removal

Scientists from the CIRI beamline have found a way to accelerate infrared imaging of biological tissues. Their solution will enable faster diagnosis of cancer thanks to denoising. You can read about the MNF2 method they developed in the journal “Chemometrics and Intelligent Laboratory System”. With this discovery, researchers significantly enhanced the measurement capabilities using the FPA array detector available at the FT-IR microscopy end station at the CIRI beamline.

In infrared imaging (IR), a key aspect of the analysis of biological tissues is the time necessary to perform the measurement. This is particularly important in terms of the diagnosis of tumors in tissues – where it can be used as an alternative to conventional histopathological staining as well as support for histopathologists in the diagnosis of the disease. One of the approaches to shorten the measurement time is to reduce the number of measured scans to, e.g. 4 – which are employed in studies on tissue classification – instead of the typically measured 128 or 64 scans. This results in increased noise in the spectra. However, by using data pre-processing methods, specifically denoising, they can obtain data qualitatively comparable to those measured with a large number of scans. Nowadays, the method gaining popularity among researchers working with IR imaging is the Minimum Noise Fraction (MNF) method. This method is based on the eigenvalue decomposition. In the first step: the noise matrix is calculated and decomposed. This estimate is made by subtracting the signal from neighboring pixels, assuming that they do not differ in terms of chemical composition – the only difference should be noise.

Read more on the SOLARIS website

Image: On the left side, a breast needle biopsy imaged with FT-IR is presented, with three interesting tissue regions: necrosis, blood, and fiber. On the right side,  FT-IR spectra are shown (coming from pixels marked with filled squares), for visual comparison of denoising methods performance.

APS to accelerate biological and environmental research

APS to accelerate biological and environmental research

The eBERlight program aims to connect the world-leading X-ray facility with more scientists studying Earth’s climate, environment and bioeconomy crops.

The Earth is a complex ecosystem, and our place in it is dependent on many different factors. From soil health to air quality to the behavior of plants and microorganisms, understanding our natural world and its other inhabitants is vital to our own survival. As the climate continues to change, research into the environment and its diverse forms of life will only become more important.

In October 2023, the Advanced Photon Source (APS), a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science user facility at DOE’s Argonne National Laboratory, will officially launch a new initiative to expand biological and environmental research at the world leading X-ray and analysis facility. The enterprise, dubbed eBERlight, recently received approval from DOE’s Biological and Environmental Research (BER) program. Its goal is to connect researchers conducting experiments within the BER mission with the world-leading X-ray science resources of the APS. By increasing access to multiple capabilities at the APS, the minds behind eBERlight hope to find new scientific approaches and engage new groups of multidisciplinary researchers towards investigating new insights about the world in which we live.

“This is an opportunity to build something new that, until now, hasn’t existed at APS,” said Karolina Michalska, a protein crystallographer at Argonne who is leading the eBERlight effort. ​“We’re broadening the access to accommodate more biological and environmental research, and since this program is so new, the scientists who will use the facility are helping us to develop it.”

Read more on the APS website

Image: The eBERlight program at the Advanced Photon Source will enable research into many areas of biological and environmental science, including studies of crop growth for biofuels and biomanufacturing.

Credit: Shutterstock/JJ. Gouin