Through Synchrotron Eyes: a Glimpse into Early Heart Development

The story

This piece showcases how synchrotron imaging can reveal the hidden processes that sustain life at its earliest stages. This rendering of a fetal mouse heart portrayed as if crafted from transparent glass, invites viewers to glimpse the delicate yet complex nature of life as it forms. Within this fragile structure lies a vibrant, solid red network representing the coronary circulation—the essential system fueling the heart’s growth and vitality. This work aims to inspire wonder at the sophistication of biological systems and the power of advanced imaging to reveal the beauty and fragility of life in its early stages.

Research area

Pulmonary vascular biology, diseases such as pulmonary hypertension.

Impact

Congenital heart disease is a common and serious birth defect, ranking among the top causes of death in infants. To study it, scientists use transgenic mouse models, but fetal hearts are tiny, 3-4 mm, so defects are difficult to spot. Synchrotron imaging allows high-resolution 3D images of these hearts, helping identify defects more accurately and reducing the waste of animal samples.

Image description

This image shows a 3D rendering of a fetal mouse heart (18 days after conception, 3.5 mm in size) created using high-resolution 3D microscopy data from the Swiss Light Source synchrotron, in Switzerland. The heart is shown in semi-transparent light-blue, with the coronary circulation in red. The scan’s high resolution (1.63 μm per pixel) allows detailed visualization of the heart’s blood supply. While this heart is healthy, the method could also reveal defects if the heart were diseased.

Credits

Niccolò Peruzzi, Kinga I. Gawlik, Timothy Mead, Till Dreier, Elna Lampei, Jenny Romell, Suneel Apte, Martin Bech, Anne Bonnin, Karin Tran-Lundmark