Soft X-ray tomography has evolved into a powerful tool for revealing cell structures

Over the past three decades, soft X-ray tomography (SXT) has rapidly evolved from a proof-of-concept microscopy method into a high-throughput quantitative imaging modality. This advancement enables researchers to address central questions in cell biology. Despite its relatively short developmental p...

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Main Authors: Weinhardt, Venera (Author) , Larabell, Carolyn (Author)
Format: Article (Journal)
Language:English
Published: March 3, 2025
In: Annual review of analytical chemistry
Year: 2025, Volume: 18, Pages: 427-446
ISSN:1936-1335
DOI:10.1146/annurev-anchem-071124-093849
Online Access:Verlag, kostenfrei, Volltext: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-anchem-071124-093849
Verlag, kostenfrei, Volltext: https://www.annualreviews.org/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-anchem-071124-093849
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Author Notes:Venera Weinhardt and Carolyn Larabell
Description
Summary:Over the past three decades, soft X-ray tomography (SXT) has rapidly evolved from a proof-of-concept microscopy method into a high-throughput quantitative imaging modality. This advancement enables researchers to address central questions in cell biology. Despite its relatively short developmental period compared to light and electron microscopy, SXT has emerged as a powerful imaging technology. It enables measuring chemical changes in cellular organelles, analyzing three-dimensional structures of whole cells and creating digital cellular models to study cell motility. We discuss the unique nature of SXT to visualize cells without fixation or labeling, enabling quantitative analyses of organelle chemical composition. We explore SXT microscopes available worldwide, SXT segmentation software, and the diverse cell types studied using this technique. We conclude with emerging directions in SXT imaging, including a brief discussion of recent discoveries that are highly influential and likely to become integral to cell biology textbooks.
Item Description:Gesehen am 29.10.2025
Physical Description:Online Resource
ISSN:1936-1335
DOI:10.1146/annurev-anchem-071124-093849