Preparation of large biological samples for high-resolution, hierarchical, multi-modal imaging

Imaging the different scales of biological tissue is essential for understanding healthy organ behavior and pathophysiological changes. X-ray micro-tomography using both laboratory ({micro}CT) and synchrotron sources (sCT) is a promising tool to image the 3D morphology at the macro- and micro-scale of large samples, including intact human organs. Preparation of large samples for high resolution imaging techniques remains a challenge due to limitations with current methods, such as sample shrinkage, insufficient contrast, movement of the sample and bubble formation during mounting or scanning. Here, we describe a protocol to prepare, stabilize, and image large soft-tissue samples with X-ray microtomography. We demonstrate the protocol using intact human organs and Hierarchical Phase-Contrast Tomography (HiP-CT) imaging at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, but the protocol is equally applicable to a range of biological samples, including complete organisms, for both laboratory and synchrotron source tomography. Our protocol enhances the contrast of the sample, while preventing sample motion during the scan, even in case of different sample orientations. Bubbles trapped during mounting and those formed during scanning (in case of synchrotron X-ray imaging) are mitigated by multiple degassing steps. The sample preparation is also compatible with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), CT, and histological observation. We describe a protocol for sample preparation and mounting which requires 25 to 34 days for a large organ such as an intact human brain or heart. This preparation time varies depending on the composition, size, and fragility of the tissue. Use of the protocol enables scanning of intact organs with a diameter of 150 mm with a local pixel size of one micron using HiP-CT.