Development of a 3D high-resolution component analysis system and observation of biological specimens

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24370070
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Partial Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Biophysics
• Research Institution: National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology
• Principal Investigator: OGURA Toshihiko 独立行政法人産業技術総合研究所, バイオメディカル研究部門, 上級主任研究員 (70371028)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 電子顕微鏡 / 非染色生物試料 / 液中観察 / 薄膜 / 誘電率 / ３次元構造解析 / 画像情報処理

Outline of Final Research Achievements

To understand various biological functions, observation of the nanometre structures of bacteria and viruses is essential. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is an important tool for such observations. However, samples of SEM are usually prepared by staining to enhance image contrast. Staining preparation is often not recommended to observe detail of the biological structures. Moreover, biological samples are prone to radiation damage and unstained samples give very poor contrast. Here, we report new methods for the unstained biological specimens in water of bacteria and virus, proteins. The obtained images show very high-contrast, and the samples incur low-electron radiation damage. Our method can be used for diverse liquid specimens across a broad range, such as nanoparticles and catalytic materials.

Free Research Field

ナノバイオテクロノジー