Laser Ablation Tomography for Rapid Three-Dimensional Tissue Imaging and Analysis

Abstract

Laser ablation tomography (LATscan) produces three-dimensional (3D) tissue models at micron-scale resolution within a few minutes, being amenable to high-throughput applications. Red-green-blue images obtained from LATscan allow for enhanced and accurate feature segmentation and quantification. The technology uses an ultrafast, ultraviolet pulsed laser to continually ablate a sample as it is fed into the laser ablation plane. Laser ablation or photo-ablation is the process of removal of material via a pulsed laser. The ultrafast nature of the laser pushes the process into being athermal, minimizing structural damage to the material being imaged. The surfaces are imaged at the ablation plane. Precise motion control allows for submicron separation between consecutive images. The ablation results in color images due to the ultraviolet laser inducing multispectral fluorescence. The LATscan system can also be programmed prior to imaging to allow for coregistration of cross section under different lighting conditions. The images are then stacked, further processed and reconstructed into volume renderings with a voxel size that can go down to 0.2 μm3 for further analysis and virtual dissection. Image processing allows for the 3D visualization and quantification of desired anatomy. LATscan has been successfully applied in the fields of plant science, entomology, and materials science. It shows great promise for biomedical imaging and tissue analysis, and this paper presents a few results from the LATscan imaging of murine tissue. Various murine organs have been imaged, including the gut, kidney, and brain (inside the skull). The imaging and analysis combined have the potential to provide pathologists, researchers, and diagnosticians with insights and solutions not available to them before.