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Karin Tran Lundmark, Principal Investigator | TRAN LUNDMARK LAB
The story
Most things in this world tends to take the easy way out if possible. This includes the blood in the lung.
Research area
Pulmonary vascular biology.
Impact
This type of imaging can teach us about the 3D structure of different types of diseases. When combined with other methods it becomes a powerful tool for exploring disease mechanisms. This technique has recently become available at the MAXIV laboratory in Lund and our hope is that it will contribute to more important knowledge and novel therapies in the future.
Image description
The image shows a pressure relieving shunt vessel in a patient who suffered from pulmonary hypertension, ie high blood pressure in the lung. A radiopaque dye was injected in the pulmonary artery and the tissue was 3D imaged at a synchrotron, an electron accelerator. The radiopaque green dye becomes white in synchrotron micro-CT volumes and can thereby be segmented and 3D reconstructed. This is very helpful for a better understanding of the complex branching structures of the lung.
Credits
Dr Niccolò Peruzzi for great collaborative work on creating this image, the Vessel Wall Biology team for all the hard work at different synchrotrons around Europe and the assistance from collaborators and beamline scientists.