Back

Contextual High-throughput 3D Volume Electron Microscopy Data Acquisition Using Artificial Intelligence

Konecna, T. H.; Jancik, R.; Slamkova, D.; Pribyl, B.; Tomova, C.; Rotkina, L.; Burch-Smith, T.; Sviben, S.; Fitzpatrick, J. A. J.; Czymmek, K. J.

2025-05-15 cell biology
10.1101/2025.05.15.654255 bioRxiv
Show abstract

One of the greatest challenges when generating large and/or high-resolution three-dimensional (3D) volume electron microscopy (vEM) datasets is long acquisition times. We developed a method that leverages Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms to increase acquisition throughput for 3D datasets by creating an AI-derived mask for the targeted region of interest, referred to as Adaptive Scanning. This allowed for specific structures to be imaged at high resolution, with the surrounding area captured at lower resolution, without artificially generating or enhancing any raw data. We demonstrate that this dynamic-resolution scanning approach significantly reduced volume acquisition time across a diverse array of organisms and tissues, including brains, parasites, cultured cells, and plants. This multi-resolution strategy has the potential to enhance Focused Ion Beam Scanning Electron Microscopy and other forms of vEM, by increasing time savings by up to 2-fold or more, enabling routine generation of multiple and/or larger vEM datasets, more efficiently and cost-effectively, allowing more data collection for increase statistical power for comparative studies.

Matching journals

The top 6 journals account for 50% of the predicted probability mass.

1
Journal of Microscopy
20 papers in training set
Top 0.1%
19.1%
2
Journal of Structural Biology
64 papers in training set
Top 0.1%
8.1%
3
Nature Communications
5641 papers in training set
Top 22%
7.5%
4
Scientific Reports
3612 papers in training set
Top 9%
7.0%
5
eLife
5828 papers in training set
Top 20%
5.7%
6
Journal of Structural Biology: X
17 papers in training set
Top 0.1%
5.7%
50% of probability mass above
7
GigaScience
212 papers in training set
Top 1%
3.6%
8
Biological Imaging
15 papers in training set
Top 0.1%
3.6%
9
Scientific Data
209 papers in training set
Top 0.7%
3.3%
10
Communications Biology
993 papers in training set
Top 7%
2.9%
11
Nature Methods
385 papers in training set
Top 3%
2.7%
12
npj Imaging
12 papers in training set
Top 0.1%
2.5%
13
Journal of Cell Biology
392 papers in training set
Top 2%
2.5%
14
PLOS ONE
5266 papers in training set
Top 48%
1.7%
15
Analytical Chemistry
218 papers in training set
Top 2%
1.5%
16
Cell Reports Methods
165 papers in training set
Top 2%
1.4%
17
Light: Science & Applications
16 papers in training set
Top 0.2%
1.2%
18
Biomedical Optics Express
95 papers in training set
Top 0.9%
1.0%
19
The Plant Journal
215 papers in training set
Top 3%
1.0%
20
Microscopy and Microanalysis
12 papers in training set
Top 0.1%
0.9%
21
Bioinformatics
1204 papers in training set
Top 8%
0.9%
22
Plant Physiology
238 papers in training set
Top 3%
0.6%
23
Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology
233 papers in training set
Top 5%
0.6%
24
Small Methods
29 papers in training set
Top 0.8%
0.6%
25
Optica
27 papers in training set
Top 0.3%
0.6%
26
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
2444 papers in training set
Top 47%
0.5%
27
Advanced Science
286 papers in training set
Top 12%
0.5%
28
Genome Biology
637 papers in training set
Top 10%
0.5%
29
Methods in Ecology and Evolution
176 papers in training set
Top 2%
0.5%
30
Open Research Europe
14 papers in training set
Top 0.2%
0.5%