Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 16, 2026

A 3D Cartographic Description of the Cell by Cryo Soft X-ray Tomography
Published on: March 15, 2021
X-ray tomography of whole cells
Mark A Le Gros1, Gerry McDermott, Carolyn A Larabell
1Physical Biosciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, MS 6-2100, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
Abstract:
X-ray tomography has been shown to provide insights into the internal structure of whole cells that can't be obtained by any other means. With recent advances in instrumentation and the advent of automated cryogenic sample stages, it has become possible to collect isotropic tomographic data from radiation-sensitive cells and to compute reconstructions with a high degree of fidelity to a resolution of 50 nm. The new generation of X-ray optics will extend this resolution limit to 15 nm or better. The development of X-ray tomography of whole cells generates opportunities to study cells, and cellular processes, in a completely new way.
Related Concept Videos
Electron Microscope Tomography and Single-particle Reconstruction
Electron Tomography
Electron tomography can be performed either in TEM or STEM (scanning transmission...
Computed Tomography
The technique was invented in the 1970s and is based on the principle that as X-rays pass through the body, they are absorbed or reflected at different levels. In the technique, a patient lies on a motorized platform while a computerized axial tomography (CAT) scanner rotates...
X-ray Diffraction of Biological Samples
According to Bragg's law, when X-rays strike the sample positioned on a stage, the rays are scattered by the electron clouds around the sample atoms. The X-ray diffraction or scattering is caused by constructive interference of the X-ray waves that reflect off the internal crystal...
X-ray Imaging

