Seminars Archive

Synchrotron radiation and proton beam induced X-ray emission for biometals imaging and speciation in cells.

Abstract
The direct detection and speciation of trace metals in single cells is a challenging task that requires sophisticated analytical developments. The aim of this seminar is to present the recent achievements in the field of cellular chemical element imaging using both synchrotron radiation and proton beam X-ray micro-spectroscopies. We have recently performed chemical element imaging in subcellular compartments of cultured cells with 90 nm spatial resolution, using the nanoprobe imaging experimental station developed at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility. In addition, quantification of trace elements in single cells is obtained using three complementary ion beam techniques, PIXE (Particle Induced X-ray Emission), RBS (Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry), and STIM (Scanning Transmission Ion Microscopy). Trace element speciation analysis has also been carried out using XANES (X-ray Absorption Near Edge Spectroscopy) at the sub-cellular level with approximately 1 µm spatial resolution.