Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 5, 2026

A 3D Cartographic Description of the Cell by Cryo Soft X-ray Tomography
Published on: March 15, 2021
Cryo-soft X-ray tomography: a journey into the world of the native-state cell
Raffaella Carzaniga1, Marie-Charlotte Domart, Lucy M Collinson
1Electron Microscopy Unit, London Research Institute, Cancer Research UK, London, WC2A 3LY, UK.
Abstract:
One of the ultimate aims of imaging in biology is to achieve molecular localisation in the context of the structure of cells in their native state. Here, we review the current state of the art in cryo-soft X-ray tomography (cryo-SXT), which is the only imaging modality that can provide nanoscale 3D information from cryo-preserved, unstained, whole cells thicker than 1 μm. Correlative cryo-fluorescence and cryo-SXT adds functional information to structure, enabling studies of cellular events that cannot be captured using light, electron or X-ray microscopes alone.
Related Concept Videos
Cryo-electron Microscopy
Electron Microscope Tomography and Single-particle Reconstruction
Electron Tomography
Electron tomography can be performed either in TEM or STEM (scanning transmission...
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...

