Lab Instrument for Cell Nano-Tomography

Advances in drug discovery over the past twenty years have resulted in increased life expectancy and, ironically, have contributed to a 140% increase in EU healthcare costs, with patients suffering from diseases, such as cancer and dementia, now living longer. There is an ever-increasing need to understand disease causation and transmission mechanisms so these diseases can be prevented rather than just better-managed. Changes in a cell'Äôs shape and in the shape of its internal organelle, are important influencers on the cell signalling mechanisms that underpin disease causation. For this reason, 3D imaging of the internal structure of whole, intact, cells is playing an increasingly important role in helping scientists to understand diseases. The only technology available today that can image through and measure the whole substructure of a cell, without needing to slice it or stain it, is soft x-ray microscopy (SXM). The problem is that the illumination required for a soft x-ray microscope is currently only available at four football-stadium sized facilities, called synchrotrons, and scientists have to queue for up to twelve months to get access to these. Despite this limitation, a small number of scientists have persisted with using the SXM technique and have made some very noteworthy breakthroughs in understanding disease causation and transmission. SiriusXT'Äôs innovation has been to develop and patent a miniaturised soft x-ray source, allowing it to build the first commercial, lab-scale, microscope. This breakthrough idea is revolutionising the cell imaging market by opening up access for a proven imaging modality to a target niche market of 3,000 organisations. Project LICENT, aims to make a significant impact in helping reduce drug development and healthcare delivery costs. In so doing, it addresses specific objectives under the Horizon 2020 policy priority of 'ÄòSocietal Challenges'Äô, which fall under the challenge of 'ÄòHealth, Demographic Change and Well Being'Äô